Kuwait tells 100 Saudis to vacate Al-Zour border area

Kuwaiti officials have given around 100 Saudis residing in the Al-Zour area on the Kingdom’s borders with Kuwait a stern order to vacate their property before the month is out.
A joint committee established between the Saudi Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Finance in Kuwait, headed by the General Authority for State Properties, reached an agreement where the Saudis will be allowed to remain in their properties until the end of the month, Al-Hayat daily reported, quoting a Saudi citizen in the area yesterday.
Saudi Ambassador to Kuwait Abdul Aziz Al-Faiz said embassy officials have been following up on the developments of this issue since the beginning and have met with a number of Saudis affected by the Kuwaiti government’s decision.
Saudis affected by this decision have expressed concern that they might not be able to secure alternative housing accommodation for their families due to time constraint.
The people affected by the committee’s decision said they had urged the Saudi Embassy in Kuwait to interfere on their behalf for a respite of two or three years to allow them time to develop the land given to them as compensation.
“The land given to us in exchange for our plots, which were close to the sea, is 10 km away from the sea and we will need two to three years to establish new houses and businesses,” one of the affected men said, hoping that the Kuwaiti and Saudi governments will reconsider.
Another Saudi revealed that he and a group of fellow nationals recently met the Saudi ambassador to discuss their problem.
“The ambassador told us he would look in to the matter but concluded by saying, ‘It is their land after all’,” the Saudi said. Dozens of shops owned by Saudis in the Al-Zour area were closed down last week, based on orders from the joint committee. The officials requested the Saudi owners to visit their offices in two weeks for updates on their issue.