Security Council Press Statement on Iraq/Kuwait

 

The following Security Council press statement on Iraq/Kuwait was read out today by Council President Claude Heller ( Mexico):

The members of the Security Council received a briefing from Ambassador Gennady Tarasov, the Secretary-General’s High-Level Coordinator, on the twenty-ninth report of the Secretary-General, in accordance with paragraph 14 of Security Council resolution 1284 (1999).

The members of the Security Council appreciated the efforts of Ambassador Tarasov and the important work of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Tripartite Commission and its Technical Subcommittee during the reporting period.

The members of the Security Council noted that the confidence and cooperation-building period between Iraq and Kuwait, launched in April 2009, had proven to be useful, and welcomed the increased cooperation by the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait that has led to positive developments on the ground, including:  the discovery of Iraqi missing persons in Kuwait; and that implementation has begun of an agreed plan to investigate the possibility that Kuwaiti missing persons may be found at new burial sites in Iraq.  Nevertheless, the members of the Security Council recognized that no confirmed remains of Kuwaiti or third country nationals have been found during the reporting period, and again expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of those involved.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the positive steps taken by the Government of Iraq, including:  publishing the pictures and names of missing persons on the website of the Ministry of Human Rights and requesting anyone with information to come forward; and forming an Iraqi Inter-Ministerial Committee to take work forward on the issue of missing persons.

The members of the Security Council took note that limited progress has been made on clarifying the fate of the Kuwaiti national archives.  The members of the Security Council welcomed the public announcement made by the Government of Iraq in its official newspaper, calling on anyone in possession of Kuwaiti documents or other property to contact the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the decision of the Kuwaiti Government to fund a $974,000 project, sponsored by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), to help build the capacity of the Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights in mass-grave excavation and identification of missing persons.  The members of the Security Council took note of the action plan that was prepared by the Kuwaiti Government and provided to the Technical Subcommittee.

The members of the Security Council supported the Secretary-General’s call for Iraq and Kuwait to continue to act in the spirit of the confidence- and cooperation-building process, and apply this to the resolution of a larger set of outstanding issues between the two countries, which should contribute to the further strengthening of their good-neighbourly relations and enhancing regional stability.

The members of the Security Council supported the Secretary-General’s recommendation to extend the financing of the activities of the High-Level Coordinator for a further period of six months in order to build on the present momentum towards implementation of paragraph 14 of Security Council resolution 1284 (1999).

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).

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For information media • not an official record