UN envoy wraps up talks with Iraqi officials on missing Kuwaiti nationals

The United Nations envoy dealing with the return of missing Kuwaiti nationals and seized property today travelled to Kuwait City after wrapping up talks on the matter with Iraqi officials in Baghdad.

The UN High-level Coordinator, Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, arrived in Kuwait for meetings with Kuwaiti officials after stopping at the headquarters of the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) in Um Qasr earlier Monday, a UN spokesman said.

While in Um Qasr, he met with the Acting Head of Mission, Tesfaye Tedese, to discuss seized property. Mr. Tedese has been asked by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to facilitate the return of small items of Kuwaiti property, such as those that are discovered in markets.

Over the weekend, Ambassador Vorontsov held meetings in Baghdad on the subject of missing Kuwaiti nationals and seized Kuwaiti property resulting from Iraq's 1991 invasion of Kuwait. He also met with the Chairman of the Committee for Missing Iraqis, according to the spokesman.

From Kuwait City, Ambassador Vorontsov is scheduled to go next on Wednesday to Amman, Jordan.