Security Council Press Statement on Iraq-Kuwait

The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Inga Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines):

The members of the Security Council welcomed the ongoing cooperation between Iraq and Kuwait in the search for missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals. They noted the repatriation of human remains, believed to be of Kuwaiti citizens, from the Government of Iraq to the Government of Kuwait on 16 September 2020 and on 8 August 2019.  The members of the Security Council thanked the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) for providing logistical support.

The members of the Security Council commended the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Tripartite Mechanism for their role in the implementation of resolution 2107 (2013) to resolve outstanding issues related to missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals.  They welcomed the sustained commitment of the Government of Iraq to return all remaining Kuwaiti property and encouraged the Government of Iraq to continue its search for the missing property, in particular to reinvigorate its search for the missing Kuwaiti national archives.

The members of the Security Council reiterated their deepest sympathy to the families of the missing and expressed their condolences for the lives lost.  They welcomed the recent identification by the relevant Kuwaiti authorities of the remains of seven Kuwaiti missing persons and expressed their hope that the work of the Kuwaiti forensic team to complete identification of the other human remains transferred to Kuwait by the Iraqi authorities would be concluded at the earliest opportunity in order to bring relief to the families of the missing.

The members of the Security Council expressed their appreciation to the Government of Iraq for its efforts to fulfil all remaining obligations in accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions.