Security Council approves phasing out Iraq-Kuwait border mission

The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously today to phase out by 6 October the UN peacekeeping operation that for nearly 12 years monitored the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait.

The 15-member body endorsed the recommendation made by Secretary-General Kofi Annan in his latest report on the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM) in view of the new situation arising from the war in Iraq.

The resolution included arrangements for the disposal of UNIKOM's non-removable property.

Praising the operation, which was created to deter violations and report on hostile action along the border following Iraq's occupation of Kuwait in 1990 and the subsequent Persian Gulf war, Mr. Annan said in his report: "From April 1991 to mid-March 2003, UNIKOM was a successful and in many ways a model United Nations peacekeeping operation."

Video of Security Council meeting