Security Council urges full cooperation from Iraq on return of Kuwaiti properties

Members of the Security Council today called upon Iraq to return all items seized following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait and to cooperate fully with Secretary-General Kofi Annan's envoy in resolving all outstanding issues.

In a press statement, the current President of the 15-member body, Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury of Bangladesh, said that the Council shared the Secretary-General's concern at the lack of progress in resolving the Kuwaiti property issues, and agreed that it was a matter of priority that Kuwait's national archives be returned.

"Members of the Council expressed their unanimous support for the work of High-Level Coordinator on this important humanitarian issue and agreed with the Secretary-General's observations, in particular those concerning the complete impartiality of Ambassador [Yuli] Vorontsov in fulfilling his mandate under Security Council resolution 1284," the statement said. That resolution deals with the return of Kuwaiti properties from Iraq.

Briefing the press on a related matter, Ambassador Chowdhury said the Council, in its informal consultations, had discussed the request made by the Russian Federation for a public meeting on the agenda item "Situation of Iraq and Kuwait," and decided to schedule that meeting for 26 June.

Ambassador Chowdhury also said that the next day, on 27 June, the Council would hold a private meeting on the issue of the appointment of the Secretary-General.