Saudi -Kuwaiti opposition to inserting Iraqi captives issue in Arab foreign ministers meetings
Iraq-Regional, Politics, 3/11/1999

The Gulf Cooperation Council states objected to the Iraqi demand to insert an item on the agenda of 111th session of the AL council of Arab foreign ministers, which is to be held on March 17 - 18 to solve the problem of the Kuwaiti, Saudi and Iraqi missing.

This problem stems from Iraq's invasion of Kuwait where Kuwait claims that some 600 Kuwaitis have been captured by Iraq and detained and have not been released. Iraq claims that it has some of its own citizens and soldiers missing too and want to have this issue dealt with at the same time as that of the Kuwaitis. Kuwait says that there is no equivalence between the two subjects and that they should be dealt with separately.

The deputy chairman of the national committee for Kuwaiti captives in Iraq, Ibrahim Majed El-Shahin, discussed the latest developments in the captives issue with Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdul Meguid in their meeting yesterday at Arab League headquarters.

El-Shahin, moreover, opposed the Iraqi request to insert the item of Saudi and Kuwaiti losses on the agenda of the AL council, clarifying that the issue of the Kuwaiti captives was always submitted to the AL and so it calls on Iraq to free the captives, while in its paper Iraq calls for examining the Kuwaiti and Saudi losses which it said contradicts with the facts.

The Saudi permanent deputy at the Arab League Fouad Sadek said "We have notified our total objection to Iraq's attempt to convert the captive's issue into the issue of the missing," during the meeting of the permanent deputies for Arab states at the Arab League on Wednesday.

Following the meeting, Sadek confirmed that there is a Gulf coordination and Arab agreement against the Iraqi suggestion, pointing out that the captive issue is totally independent and "We do not want to restrict it by the issue of alleged missing Iraqis," saying, "We have captives but they are not missing and the Iraqi attempt is unacceptable."

Previous Stories:
  Abdul Meguid expects written message from Saddam Hussein   (3/11/1999)
  Iraq urges AL ministerial council to ask for halting strikes against it   (3/11/1999)
  Two Iraqi proposals on the agenda of Arab foreign ministers   (3/10/1999)
  Three Kuwaiti conditions for reconciliation with Iraq   (3/3/1998)

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