KUWAIT: KUWAITI MINISTER ABDUL-RAHMAN AL-AWADI SAYS IT WILL COST BETWEEN 40 AND 50 BILLION US DOLLARS TO REBUILD HIS COUNTRY

Record ID: 899126

  • Title: KUWAIT: KUWAITI MINISTER ABDUL-RAHMAN AL-AWADI SAYS IT WILL COST BETWEEN 40 AND 50 BILLION US DOLLARS TO REBUILD HIS COUNTRY
  • Date: 2nd March 1991
  • Summary: VARIOUS, KUWAIT (MARCH 2, 1991) KUWAIT CITY (VISNEWS) VARIOUS STREET SCENES, PEOPLE BUYING FRUIT AND VEGETABLES IN STREET
  • Embargoed: 6th July 2005 15:11
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VARIOUS, KUWAIT
  • Country: Kuwait
  • Topics: Conflict,General
  • Reuters ID: LVAD6MXW4LVOUFPC6VEZDN0KUYN1
  • Aspect Ratio: 4:3
  • Story Text: A Kuwaiti minister estimated on Saturday (March 2) that it would cost between 40 and 50 billion United States (US) dollars to rebuild his country.

    Speaking to reporters, Abdul-Rahman Al-Awadi, the first Kuwaiti minister to return to his country after Iraqi soldiers fled, also said it would take a long time for Kuwait to get back to normal.

    He said 33,000 Kuwaitis had been killed, taken hostage or went missing during Iraq's seven-month occupation and the Iraqis took 8,000 Kuwaitis hostage in the three days before the allied ground assault began on Sunday (February 24). Al-Awadi said they were seized off the streets or from their homes and possibly taken to a site near the Iraqi city of Basra.

    On the Kuwaiti beachfront French soldiers were busy dismantling the many mines planted by Iraqi soldiers.

    Many buildings were destroyed in Kuwait City during the occupation, including the famous Islamic Art Museum. Several historic Arab dhows were incinerated as Iraqi troops rampaged through the museum wrecking countless art treasures.

    Kuwait city remains without power as one of the country's largest power stations still smoulders after being blown up by Iraqi troops. The crude oil to supply the boilers is burning ferociously.

    The station will take many months to rebuild.

    Oil well fires continued to rage throughout Kuwait on Saturday.

    The Kuwait Oil Company (KOC) said on Friday (March 1) that all of the country's 950 production oil wells had been damaged by occupying Iraqi soldiers.

    Kuwait is one of the wealthiest and most oil-rich countries of the world, but is now estimated by the KOC to have enough oil remaining in storage tanks for only 16 days of domestic consumption.
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