Kuwait Times

Published Date: October 21, 2009

UNITED NATIONS: Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon late Monday welcomed the "fragile" progress on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, and urged Iraq and Kuwait to redouble their efforts in the coming months, with the support of the Security Council, to achieve more "significant" progress. "I welcome the fact that the first six months of the confidence and co-operation-building period have shown an indication of movement on the missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals issue," Ban told th
e Security Council in a report. "I commend the concrete effort undertaken by Iraq to meet its responsibilities under Paragraph 14 of Security Council Resolution 1284 of 1999. I appreciate Kuwait's positive and supportive attitude," he added.

Ban recalled that he had submitted a proposal last April to introduce a "confidence and co-operation-building period" between Iraq and Kuwait, to encourage the parties to achieve "visible and significant progress and to strengthen their practical co-operation" on the issue of missing Kuwaitis and to return property.

Ban described the progress achieved so far as "fragile" and called on Iraq and Kuwait to "redouble their efforts in the coming months to achieve visible and significant progress in the search." This, he argued, "will not only help to resolve the long-standing humanitarian issue, but also increase mutual trust and confidence, and contribute to the resolution of other problems between the two countries, strengthen good-neighborly relations, and enhance regional stability and co-operation." Ban stressed that
this objective can be achieved only through increased co-operation between the two countries in the framework of the Tripartite Commission and with the continued support of the international community and the Security Council.

In this context, Ban recommended that the council extend the financing of the mandate of Gennady Tarasov, the UN high-level coordinator for both issues, until June 2010, in order to achieve objectives of his mission.

He said Tazasov visited Kuwait twice, first from May 30 to June 3, then from Oct 4 to 7, where he met with His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah and Dr Sheikh Mohammad Al-Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, who favored extending Tarasov's mandate for another year.

He said that his directive "should be carried out until its objectives are attained and should not be influenced by political considerations." Ban noted in the report that Tarasov welcomed the Kuwaiti National Committee on Missing persons visiting Iraqi delegation's report to the 62nd session of the Technical Sub-Committee (TSC), which was held in Kuwait on Oct 6. The purpose was the "specific measures already taken and yet to be taken" by Iraq with a view to find and return mortal remains of the missing p
ersons.

He was informed that the delegation of Iraq had presented its plan of action, indicating the reconnaissance activities by Iraqi teams at the burial sites in the provinces of Karbela, Anbar, Baghdad (Salman Pak area), Samawa and Nasiriya and expected completion by November 2009.

The Iraqi plan of action contains the names of burial sites, the estimated cost, and the estimated period for completion of work. In Karbala governorate, the estimated cost of exhumation is six million dinars and the estimated period for completion is a period of two weeks (Oct 1 to 14). In Anbar governorate, the estimated cost is three million dinars and the period of completion is Oct 15 to 20. In Baghdad, the estimated cost is 2.5 million dinars and the period of completion is Oct 25 to 28. In Samawah g
overnorate, the estimated cost is three million dinars and the period of completion is November 1 to 6, and in Nasiriyah governorate, the estimated cost is 5 million dinars and the period of completion is Nov 7 to 17.

A joint Kuwaiti-Iraqi team is expected to be formed to undertake exhumation if mortal remains of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals are found at these locations, the report said. Ban annexed a letter conveyed to Tarasov by Kuwaiti Ambassador to UN's Abdullah Al-Murad earlier this month, which was signed by Dr Ibrahim Majid Al-Shaheen, the acting President of the National Committee for Missing Persons and Prisoners of War Affairs. He expressed satisfaction at the Iraqi steps to resolve the issue.

Al-Shaheen said "However, the real yardstick is the achievement of results. Achieving tangible results requires governmental support in that direction at the highest level," He elaborated that this in turn requires a team which would comprise all concerned authorities to work towards concluding the issue on hand.
There is no doubt that the work must not stop at mere searching or digging. We hope that the Iraqi authorities will make an effort find the sites where the prisoners are buried," he added.

Al-Shaheen stressed in his letter that "finding those remains constitutes an obligation for the Iraqi side" and emphasized its "legal and humanitarian responsibility". He also said those steps must yield real results, indicative of co-operation to resolve the Kuwaiti prisoner issue. "Al-Shaheen reaffirmed the need to have a follow-up of the activity on the Iraqi side and evaluation by the United Nations, based on the criterion of the results achieved," He elucidated that they should not settle for declarat
ions about activities, but encourage the process.

He stressed the need for a continued role of the UN in monitoring the seriousness of both activities and results and said that implementation of Security Council Resolution 1284 "requires the return of Kuwaiti prisoners and third-country nationals to Kuwait." According to the report, Tarasov was also informed about the "determination of Iraq to continue its efforts" in the search for missing Kuwaiti and third country nationals by the Head of the Iraqi delegation.

Tarasov was even shown an Iraqi newspaper published on Aug 16, which contained photographs of Kuwaiti and third-country missing persons. It requested Iraqi citizens to notify the authorities, if they possessed information regarding their whereabouts.

Ban expressed regret that the Kuwaiti national archives had not been found and "no credible information about their whereabouts had emerged". He said Tarasov was notified by Kuwaiti officials that the country would "welcome Iraq's plan of action to demonstrate that an effort to investigate the fate of archives is underway." He added that Iraq has continued to return items seized by the former Iraqi regime during its occupation of Kuwait in 1990. For instance on June 24, Iraq handed silver coins, travelers'
checks, Kuwaiti postage stamps and old-issue bank notes belonging to the Central Bank of Kuwait. The Security Council is scheduled to examine Ban's report tomorrow. - KUNA