In coordination with ICRC, Kuwait is ready to search for Iraqi missing
Kuwait-Iraq, Politics, 12/21/2001

Kuwait has stressed its readiness to permit the International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC to search for Iraqi missing which Iraq stresses they do not exist, but under the condition that Baghdad will " provide all precise information" about the Kuwaitis Iraq is accused to have held.

In a message addressed to the UN secretary general Kofi Annan, the Kuwaiti foreign minister Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah stressed the need of solving the issue of the Kuwaiti prisoners and missing in the " framework of the UN and relevant resolutions," relating to this issue.

The Kuwaiti minister added that Kuwait is ready " despite the fact it is not responsible for what is claimed by the Iraqi government." Concerning the Iraqi missing to permit " the ICRC carrying out a comprehensive and free search on the territories of Kuwait " for those Iraqi missing.

He continued that his country, in return, sets a condition which is " to get a clear guarantee from the Iraqi government that Kuwait will provide all precise information relating to the fate of the Kuwaitis and citizens of other countries held in Iraq so as to " definitely draw the curtains on this issue." In his message to the UN chief dated December 12 and broadcast by the Kuwaiti news agency on December 18 Sheikh Sabah indicated mechanisms that comply to solving this humanitarian issue" that Iraq can resort to. These mechanisms are the three-member committee ( Iraq, Kuwait, ICRC), its sub committee and the UN special coordinator for the Kuwaiti prisoners affairs, according to Sheikh Sabah.

Recently, Iraq has submitted a proposal to the Arab League refused by Kuwait to form a committee to follow up this issue. Since the end of 1998 Iraq has been boycotting meetings of the three- member committee on this issue and calls for the non- participation of representatives for the US, France and Britain in it. Moreover., Iraq has refused to receive the UN special coordinator on the prisoners issue, the Russian Yuli Forontsov.

Kuwait has stressed that 600 of its citizens and from other nationalities are held as prisoners by Iraq since its occupation of Kuwait August 1990- February 1991.

Baghdad had admitted it had taken prisoners, but lost their traces following the Shiite rebellion movement in southern Iraq in 1991.

Iraq, for his part, calls on Kuwait to give clarifications over 1142 who were lost following the Gulf war.

The Kuwaiti foreign minister has accused the Iraqi government of trying to single out this issue from the UN Security Council resolutions concerned.

Previous Stories:
  Iraq accuses Kuwait of investing border oil fields and interfering in its internal affairs   (12/14/2001)
  Kuwait and striking Iraq   (12/1/2001)
  Kuwaiti coast guards arrest Malaysian oil tanker carrying smuggled Iraqi oil   (11/19/2001)

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