Kuwaiti PM refuses to be cowed over cheque

Manama: Kuwait's beleaguered prime minister, Shaikh Nasser Mohammad Al Ahmad Al Sabah, has turned down two attempts to amicably resolve a standoff with lawmaker Faisal Al Mislem.

Al Mislem said he planned to quiz the premier over a $700,000 (Dh2.57 million) cheque he handed over to a former lawmaker.

Last Wednesday, Al Mislem produced a copy of the cheque during the weekly parliament session and challenged the premier to explain why he had given the money to a former MP at the time when the expenditures of the prime minister's court were being audited.

The claim implied that there was a case of corruption. The cheque was dated June 2008, but the name of the beneficiary was blanked out.

Shaikh Nasser said that the cheque was personal and vowed to sue Al Mislem for breach of privacy.

The premier said that the standoff with Al Mislem would be resolved by a court of law, and not through compromises or middle persons.

"I hope there will be no escalation between the MPs and the government. However, we are not afraid and we are all ready to be quizzed," he said.

Shaikh Nasser also ruled out claims that parliament would be dissolved as a result of the standoff with opposition MPs. He insisted that the House would sit for the next four years.