Kuwait denies it imposed travel ban praised by Trump

Reports said people from 5 countries, including Pakistan, wouldn’t be allowed to enter Gulf State during blanket ban


Reuters February 05, 2017
International arrivals proceed normally at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport after a federal judge in Washington state issued a nationwide stop of the travel ban imposed by US President Donald Trump's executive order in Dallas, Texas, US February 4, 2017. PHOTO: REUTERS

DUBAI: Kuwait has denied a media report which said it had imposed a travel ban on citizens from several Muslim-majority countries, a story which US President Donald Trump praised on Facebook.

"Smart!" a post on Trump's official Facebook page said on Thursday, linking to a report on Jordanian news website Al Bawaba which alleged that Kuwait had "mirrored" a decision by the Trump administration to temporarily bar travellers from several countries.

Pakistan in a quandary over Trump’s travel ban

The article alleged that "Syrians, Iraqis, Iranians, Pakistanis and Afghans" would not be allowed to enter the Gulf state "while the blanket ban is in place". But Kuwait's foreign ministry refuted the report, which was widely picked up by news websites popular with Trump supporters including Breitbart, Infowars and Sputnik.

Kuwait "categorically denies these claims and affirms that these reported nationalities ... have big communities in Kuwait and enjoy full rights," a ministry spokesperson was quoted as saying on state news agency KUNA on Friday. Citizens of the countries mentioned visit Kuwait regularly, it added.

Confusion and protests at airports greeted the executive order Trump signed last weekend to bar for 90 days entry into the United States by travellers from Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen.

Iran welcomes US wrestling team after travel ban halted

Representatives of the proscribed countries as well as several neighbouring nations condemned the move, but Trump on his Twitter account said the initiative enjoyed support in the region. "Interesting that certain Middle-Eastern countries agree with the ban. They know if certain people are allowed in it's death & destruction!" he wrote.

The United Arab Emirates was one country which did publicly give the ban a measured response. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed called the ban an internal US matter which did not target Muslims.

COMMENTS (7)

Farru | 7 years ago | Reply Kuwait is certainly not coming clean. Saudi and UAE support for Trump's visa ban on 7 Muslim-majority states confirms once again "Muslim Umma" is not on the same page.
Ahmed | 7 years ago | Reply @ Khan My Sister lives in Qatar and I visit her often. The same is true for kuwait where my friend is working in an audit firm. I don't know who is spreading these rumors. There is no ban on Pakistanis. President Trump is so stupid that he even shared a fake news link on his official facebook page regarding the ban.
VIEW MORE COMMENTS
Replying to X

Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.

For more information, please see our Comments FAQ