Security Council calls for sped-up action on missing Kuwaitis

Expressions of goodwill between Iraq and Kuwait must be translated into quick action to resolve the issue of Kuwaitis, other nationals and property missing since the 1990 Gulf war, the Security Council said today.

The settlement of these outstanding matters would further strengthen existing friendly relations between Iraq and Kuwait, according to a statement on the subject read out to the press by Claude Heller of Mexico, which holds the Council presidency for April.

The members of the Security Council were briefed by Gennady Tarasov of Russia, the Secretary-General’s High-Level Coordinator for the subject.

As of this month, the remains of 236 Kuwaiti and third-country nationals have been identified, but the security situation in recent years has barred specialized teams from Kuwait to carry out exhumation work at Iraqi burial sites, according to a recent report by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

There still remain 369 Kuwaitis and third-country nationals – all believed to have been killed in 1990-1991 by Saddam Hussein's regime – whose remains have not been identified, the Secretary-General wrote..

The majority of these remains are apparently still in Iraq and are believed to be in mass burial sites, possibly mixed with remains of other victims of the former Iraqi regime.

The report also pointed out that the Kuwaiti national archives have yet to be found.

The Council welcomed, however, the return by the Iraqi Government of audio and video tape recordings to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Information.

It also expressed appreciation that efforts are under way to resolve remaining issues related to the spare parts lost by Kuwaiti Airways and it noted the positive intention of both Iraq and Kuwait to resolve all such matters.

In that light, the 15-member body welcomed the capacity-building project developed by the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), and agreed to finance the continuation of the activities of the High-Level Coordinator for a period of six months.