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Kuwait’s committee responsible for implementing U.N. Security Council decisions under Chapter VII decided Sunday to add eight Lebanese hospitals to Kuwait’s national terrorism list.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said it learned about the decision without prior notice.
The move surprised Lebanon’s Health Ministry, which said it had not received any prior inquiry or notification from any Kuwaiti authority regarding the decision.
According to a Kuwaiti newspaper, the committee, which operates under Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, classified the hospitals as entities listed under terrorism-related measures.
The committee may, either on its own initiative or based on a request from a competent foreign authority or a local entity, list any person suspected on reasonable grounds of having committed or attempted to commit a terrorist act.
It may also list any person suspected of participating in or facilitating such an act.
The decision was issued under the committee’s executive regulations, with implementation requested in accordance with Articles 21, 22 and 23.
Article 21 requires “every person” to freeze funds and economic resources owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part, by those listed, without delay and without prior notice.
Article 23 prohibits any person within Kuwait, or any Kuwaiti citizen abroad, from providing funds, economic resources or financial services to any listed entity, directly or indirectly, in whole or in part.
The ban does not include adding interest due on frozen accounts.
In its first official reaction, Lebanon’s Health Ministry expressed astonishment at the designation, saying it had not been contacted or informed by Kuwaiti authorities.
The ministry described the step as “an unprecedented move that does not align with the approach traditionally adopted by brotherly Kuwait.”
It noted that Kuwait is usually characterized by diplomacy and efforts to bring viewpoints closer together.
It also pointed to multiple joint health-sector projects between Kuwait and Lebanon, and said Kuwait has been among the leading countries supporting Lebanon’s health system through successive crises.
The ministry said the hospitals cited are registered with Lebanon’s Syndicate of Private Hospitals and provide treatment and health services to all Lebanese without exception.
It added that these hospitals are an essential part of Lebanon’s health system, which continues to struggle for survival while maintaining its health and humanitarian responsibilities.
Lebanon’s Health Ministry said it will undertake the necessary contacts with relevant authorities to clarify the background of the decision, present accurate facts to prevent misunderstandings, and protect the Lebanese health system.
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