Security Council Press Statement on Missing Kuwaiti Nationals and Property

The following Security Council press statement on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third country nationals, and the repatriation of Kuwaiti property, was read out today by Council President Le Luong Minh (Viet Nam):

The members of the Security Council were briefed by Ambassador Gennady Tarasov, the Secretary-General’s High-Level Coordinator for the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and the repatriation of Kuwaiti property, following the recent report of the Secretary-General.

The members of the Security Council appreciated the efforts of Ambassador Tarasov and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and commended the United Nations capacity-building work with the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights.

The members of the Security Council noted that limited progress had been made on the identification of human remains.  The members of the Security Council again expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the missing.

The members of the Security Council also took note that no progress had been made on clarifying the fate of the Kuwaiti national archives.  Nevertheless, the members of the Security Council welcomed the return by the Iraqi Government of currency and postage stamps to Kuwait.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the steps taken by Iraq through the reporting period, including initiating a newspaper appeal for information on Kuwaiti and third country missing persons on 16 August 2009, to meet its responsibilities under paragraph 14 of Security Council Resolution 1284 (1999).  The members of the Security Council also welcomed the Iraqi Government’s Action Plan on reconnaissance activities, including sending technical teams to burial sites and their preparation for exhumations, and looked forward to its implementation in the coming months. 

The members of the Security Council supported the proposal of the Secretary General for a confidence- and cooperation-building period, noted the positive intention of both Iraq and Kuwait to resolve these matters and agreed to finance the continuation of the activities of the High-Level Coordinator for a further period of eight months.

The members of the Security Council joined the Secretary-General in calling on Iraq and Kuwait to redouble their efforts in the coming months to achieve visible and significant progress in the search for missing persons and property, which would further strengthen existing friendly relations between Iraq and Kuwait.

Finally, the members of the Security Council expressed their willingness to consider this matter in the context of their review of the report by the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 5 of resolution 1859 (2008).

* *** *

For information media • not an official record