Security Council Press Statement on Iraq/Kuwait

 

The following Security Council press statement on Iraq/Kuwait was issued today by Council President Noël Nelson Messone ( Gabon):

The members of the Security Council received a briefing from Ambassador Gennady Tarasov, the Secretary-General’s High-Level Coordinator, on the thirty-first 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 welcomed the continued cooperation by the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait, and their high-level commitments to full implementation of all Iraqi obligations to Kuwait under the relevant resolutions, in addition to the commitments given by the Iraqi Government to improve relations with Kuwait.   Nevertheless, the members of the Security Council stressed the need to fulfil these commitments, specifically finding Kuwaiti or third-country nationals, property and archives.  The members of the Security Council once again expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of those involved.

The members of the Security Council welcomed active participation by the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait in the efforts undertaken in the framework of the Technical Subcommittee to develop an effective functional mechanism for the search for missing persons, including the Technical Subcommittee’s exploratory mission to Nassiriyah and the ongoing mission to Khamisiyah in southern Iraq.

The members of the Security Council noted that limited progress has been made on clarifying the fate of the Kuwaiti national archives.  The members of the Security Council welcomed the commitment by the Prime Minister of Iraq to establish an Inter-Ministerial Committee to lead and coordinate efforts with regard to the Kuwaiti national archives and other properties.  The members of the Security Council urged the Government of Iraq to establish without further delay an effective national body for this task and report the results to the United Nations.

The members of the Security Council called for Iraq and Kuwait to continue to act in the spirit of the confidence- and cooperation-building process, which should contribute to the further strengthening of their good-neighbourly relations and enhancing of 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