DPI PUBLISHES 'THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE IRAQ-KUWAIT CONFLICT, 1990-1996'

21 February 1996

Press Release
PI/933

DPI PUBLISHES 'THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE IRAQ-KUWAIT CONFLICT, 1990-1996'

19960221 The response of the United Nations to Iraq's August 1990 invasion of Kuwait has demonstrated the extraordinary capacity of the Organization to break new ground, when consensus exists, as peacemaker, peace-keeper and peace-builder. The United Nations and the Iraq-Kuwait Conflict, 1990-1996, the ninth volume in the "Blue Books" series, offers a comprehensive account of the Organization's striking array of operations and activities spanning more than five years of involvement.

The publication of the book this month by the Department of Public Information (DPI) coincides with the resumption of discussions between the United Nations Secretariat and the Government of Iraq on implementation of a Security Council plan to ease humanitarian suffering in Iraq through limited exports of Iraqi oil. Indeed, as Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali writes in his extensive introduction, "A principal concern for the Organization throughout its involvement has been to alleviate the hardships the conflict has visited upon the Iraqi civilian population".

In addition to the introduction, the book reproduces more than 200 documents relating to all aspects of the Organization's involvement, including:

-- Resolutions of the General Assembly and of the Security Council;

-- Reports of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) concerning Iraq's nuclear, chemical, biological and long-range missile programmes;

-- The final report of the Iraq-Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission, which defined the boundary between Iraq and Kuwait for the first time -- the first instance in which the United Nations performed such a task for two Member States;

-- Reports and decisions relating to the United Nations Compensation Commission, which is processing more than 2.6 million loss, damage and injury claims with an estimated value exceeding $160 billion -- the largest such programme in history;

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-- Reports of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM), which monitors a demilitarized zone along the Iraq-Kuwait border and serves as a vital buffer and confidence-building mechanism;

-- Reports and other materials concerning the return of all Kuwaiti property seized by Iraq, the repatriation of Kuwaiti, third-State nationals and Iraqi nationals, the humanitarian situation in Iraq and the sanctions regime in effect on Iraq;

-- Reports of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Human Rights on the situation of human rights in Iraq;

-- Previously unpublished correspondence of the Secretary-General; and

-- Communications from Iraq, Kuwait and other United Nations Member States.

The United Nations and the Iraq-Kuwait Conflict, 1990-1996, recounts events from 1961 to 1963, when the territorial dispute between Iraq and Kuwait was first addressed by the Security Council. The book also features a detailed chronology of events.

The "Blue Books" series covers major developments of the past five decades in which the United Nations has played a leading role. The series is designed to provide primary research and reference tools to historians, policy makers, journalists and others interested in gaining a deeper understanding of the work of the Organization.

The first book in the series, The United Nations and Apartheid, 1948- 1994, was published in December 1994. Also available are The United Nations and Cambodia, 1991-1995, The United Nations and Nuclear Non-Proliferation, The United Nations and El Salvador, 1990-1995, The United Nations and Mozambique, 1992-1995, The United Nations and the Advancement of Women, 1945-1995, The United Nations and Human Rights, 1945-1995 and The United Nations and Somalia, 1992-1996.

The United Nations and the Iraq-Kuwait Conflict, 1990-1996 (852 pages), is available as a sales item. For more information, please contact United Nations Publications, Room DC2-0853, Dept. 184A, New York, N.Y. 10017, tel. (800) 253-9646 and (212) 963-8302, fax (212) 963-3489; United Nations Publications, Sales Office and Bookshop, CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland, tel. 41-22-917-2614, fax 41-22-917-0027; or United Nations Information Centres around the world.

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Note:Review copies of The United Nations and the Iraq-Kuwait Conflict, 1990-1996, are available from the United Nations Publications Office.