Analysis: Kuwait's refusal to forgive Iraqi debt reflects past bitterness, new suspicions

Above and left: An Iraqi tank and destroyed building where Kuwaiti soldiers were slaughtered are maintained as a commemoration known as the 'Martyrs Museum' in Kuwait City.

Kuwaiti lawmakers' refusal to forgive Iraq's debts has shone a troubling light on the lingering bitterness that many of the country's neighbors feel toward Saddam Hussein's rule — and also the sharp suspicion they hold toward Iraq's new Shiite-led government.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's struggled against those suspicions when he tried this week to convince Kuwaitis and their lawmakers to forgive most of the $15 billion of Iraq's debt...

"Most Kuwaitis and parliament members believe that Iraq must pay," lawmaker Mohammed al-Mutair said. "A commitment is a commitment; we have suffered enough from that neighbor."

Read the rest at the International Herald Tribune