Kuwait's new oil minister might resign: reports

KUWAIT (Reuters) - OPEC-member Kuwait's oil minister has offered to resign after some members of parliament voiced resistance to his appointment a week ago, newspapers said on Sunday.

The minister, Bader al-Humaidhi, met with Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser al-Mohammad al-Sabah late on Friday to discuss the possible resignation, al-Anba newspaper said.

Sheikh Nasser might accept the resignation on Sunday, al-Watan newspaper reported.

Changing the oil minister usually has no effect on Kuwait's energy policy, which is set by a council that includes oil industry and other government officials.

Parliamentarian Saleh Ashour told al-Anba that Humaidhi's resignation was verbal.

Parliament Speaker Jassem al-Kharafi declined to comment on the reports after a meeting with the ruler, Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, and the prime minister.

The meeting came after an open spat between Kharafi and the prime minister who criticised the speaker's comments late on Saturday, saying he had tried to meddle into government affairs by naming people he thought should be named as ministers.

"The differences in points of view do not mean that we are having a dispute. Difference in views was for the good of Kuwait, democracy and openness," Kharafi, a former government minister, told reporters.

The government and parliament of the Gulf Arab state have been locked in a standoff for much of the year, delaying reforms such as a bill to cut tax on foreign firms and a long-planned project to boost oil output with help from international firms.