Security Council Press Statement on Iraq, Kuwait

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Li Baodong ( China):

The members of the Security Council received a briefing from Ambassador Gennady Tarasov, the Secretary-General’s High-Level Coordinator, on the thirty-third 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 (ICRC), the Tripartite Commission and its Technical Subcommittee during the reporting period.

The members of the Security Council were encouraged by the recent positive developments in Iraqi-Kuwaiti bilateral relations, particularly in light of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s visit to Kuwait and Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad’s visit to Baghdad for the League of Arab States summit, as well as the positive outcome of the second session of the Joint Kuwait-Iraq Ministerial Committee.  They called on both States to continue to act in a spirit that builds further confidence and cooperation, which should contribute to the strengthening of their good-neighbourly relations and enhancing regional stability.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the continued cooperation of the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait, and their high-level commitments to full implementation of all Iraqi obligations to Kuwait under the relevant resolutions.  The members of the Security Council recognized the proactive efforts on the part of Iraq in the search for missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals but stressed the need for Iraq to continue to build on the steps already taken to fully meet its commitments.  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 the active participation by the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait in the efforts undertaken in the framework of the Technical Subcommittee, including the latest joint exploratory missions, as well as an increased emphasis on information gathering and the adoption of a new plan of action.  The members of the Security Council noted that joint exploratory missions, within the framework of the Technical Subcommittee and under the aegis of the ICRC, appear to be an appropriate and concrete mechanism to probe the fate of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and urged continued cooperation to translate efforts into tangible results.

The members of the Security Council welcomed the Government of Iraq’s establishment of an interministerial committee to lead and coordinate efforts with regard to the Kuwaiti national archives.  Whilst the members of the Security Council welcomed the recent return of microfilm cassettes, Kuwaiti currency, documents and safe keys, they noted the Secretary-General’s concern that no substantial progress has been made on clarifying the fate of the archives.  The members of the Security Council noted that sustained efforts on this file could bear results and repeated their call for an intensification of efforts to clarify the whereabouts of the archives through the interministerial committee and for its results to be regularly reported to the United Nations.

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 continue to build upon recent increased momentum towards the full implementation of paragraph 14 of Security Council resolution 1284 (1999).  They urged the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait to sustain and intensify their constructive engagement with the High-Level Coordinator.  The members of the Security Council supported the Secretary-General’s opinion that both sides should begin exploring other arrangements to consolidate and ensure continued cooperation in the search for missing persons and property, including the national archives, so that the Security Council will, in the near future, be in a position to consider other modalities to continue reporting on the search.

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