By B Izzak

Kuwait, Apr 13 (Kuwait Times): Two leading MPs of the Popular Action Bloc yesterday strongly lashed out at Prime Minister HH Sheikh Nasser Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, insisting he will not succeed in his seventh government because he has failed in all major issues since he was appointed five years ago. Spokesman of the Bloc MP Musallam Al-Barrak told reporters the National Assembly will not accept the seventh government under Sheikh Nasser because he will take the country back to square one, which is a policy of failure.

Referring to the controversy about the Iranian spy ring and allegations that Sheikh Nasser sent State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Roudhan Al-Roudhan to offer an apology to the Iranian embassy, Barrak said that he did not make the story up but only cited it from a local newspaper. Roudhan and Barrak made several exchanges over the issue with Roudhan strongly denying that he made an apology or that he was asked to do so by the prime minister.

Barrak blamed the government for being responsible over the controversy because the news was published by a local newspaper citing the defense lawyer and that the government did not deny the story. Barrak said that Roudhan held a meeting with the Iranian ambassador to Kuwait on May 5, 2010 and Roudhan was quoted as telling the ambassador that there were no accusations against Iran "although investigations had been completed by that date" with members of the spy cell. The lawmaker said he was ready for an o
pen debate with Roudhan over the issue, adding that based on the details of the court verdict, the Iranian labour attache was responsible for the spying rings.

Another member of the Bloc MP Khaled Al-Tahous also strongly criticized the running of the country, singling out corruption, corrupt media, expired meat, use of political money and the attack on the constitution under the previous six governments of Sheikh Nasser. Tahous detailed a number of key issues he claimed that Sheikh Nasser's governments have failed to deal with, adding that their opposition to Sheikh Nasser is not based on personal issues but matters of public interests and the way to manage the c
ountry.

The Popular Bloc has vowed it will file to grill Sheikh Nasser as soon as he forms the new government, his seventh since Feb 2007, over allegations of corruption. A number of MPs opposed to Sheikh Nasser held a meeting late Sunday night at the diwaniya of MP Waleed Al-Tabtabaei to discuss ways to deal with the new government of Sheikh Nasser, which is not expected before two weeks. None of the six members of the liberal National Action Bloc attended the meeting because it was held outside the Assembly.

In another development, liberal MP Abdulrahman Al-Anjari sent a series of questions to Roudhan about Kuwait's plans to set up nuclear plants to produce electricity. He asked about the reason for Kuwait resorting to nuclear power and if the decision was based on studies and research. Anjari asked about the funds spent so far on the nuclear program and the expected cost of the program and demanded information about the deals signed by the government with foreign countries.