Security Council urges Iraq to make further efforts to locate Kuwaiti property

The United Nations Security Council today strongly urged Iraq to make further efforts regarding the whereabouts of Kuwaiti property after Baghdad acknowledged that it still held assets that were seized from its Arab neighbour during the 1990 invasion.

In press statement that endorsed observations made earlier this week in a report by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, members of the Security Council took note of the acknowledgement by Iraq that it still holds Kuwait's national archives, and that it is ready to return them through the UN mechanism, including the League of Arab States.

According to Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe of Syria, which currently holds the Council's rotating Presidency, the members expressed their unanimous support for the work of the High Level Coordinator, Yuli Vorontsov, and stressed the importance of dialogue between him and Baghdad. They also welcomed the recommendations contained in the Arab Summit communiqué in March on the subject.

Meanwhile in Geneva, a UN panel paid out $4.74 billion in damages arising from Iraq's invasion - and subsequent occupation - of Kuwait.

Of the total awarded by the UN Compensation Commission, $4.48 billion went to Kuwaiti claimants. About $100.6 million covered individual claims, filed on their behalf by 14 governments, and the remaining payments went to other oil companies, construction and engineering firms, or were costs relating to damage suffered by the environment.