US Ambassador-designate apologizes to Kuwaiti people over Saddam Hussein remarks
During a hearing before the US Congressional Committee, US Ambassador-designate to Kuwait, Amer Ghaleb, has issued an apology to the Kuwaiti people, clarifying his earlier statements about Saddam Hussein and his position on recent developments in the Middle East.
“I was angry when our military bases were attacked by the Iranians, and there was no response,” Ghaleb said during the session held Saturday evening.
He referred to the Iranian missile strikes on the Ain al-Asad base in Iraq on January 8, 2020, carried out in retaliation for the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, commander of the Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, reports Al-Rai daily.
Explaining the context of his earlier remarks, Ghaleb said: “At that moment, I said that I appreciated Saddam Hussein because he was deterring Iran, and that was perhaps the only positive thing he did in his life. There is no doubt that he was a dictator who committed many crimes, including the invasion of Kuwait. If my words at the time offended anyone, especially the Kuwaiti people, I apologize. I did not mean to express admiration for him in any way.”
He added that his comment was made in the heat of frustration and was not reflective of his views, reiterating his respect for the Kuwaiti people and their history.
Responding to his statement, US Senator Jeanne Shaheen, a senior Democratic member of the Senate, said: “As an ordinary citizen, you are entitled to your opinions, even if I disagree with them. But it is entirely different when you represent the United States of America — particularly in a country like Kuwait, which Saddam Hussein invaded when he was a dictator in Iraq. Therefore, it is unacceptable to describe him as a martyr.”
