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19:21 GMT
NEW YORK, Sept 25 (KUNA) -- His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber
Al-Mubarak Al-Hamad Al-Sabah on Wednesday applauded Iraq for its efforts to
cement the bilateral ties and meet its obligations towards Kuwait under the
relevant UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.
Addressing the 68th UN General Assembly session on behalf of HH the Amir of
Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, HH the Prime Minister said the
tangible progress in the bilateral ties in the recent years has been seen on
the top-level contacts between the leaders of both countries.
"The leaders of both neighborly countries were able to overcome the
differences of the past looking forward to strengthening the bilateral ties
and serving the common interests of their peoples," he said.
HH the Prime Minister voiced hope that genuine cooperation with Iraq would
lead to accounting for the Kuwaiti and third country's nationals who went
missing during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
He called for more serious search for the Kuwaiti national archive pursuant
to the UNSC Resolution 2107 (2013) which transferred the mandate of the UN
High-Level Coordinator for Iraq-Kuwait Missing Persons and Property to the UN
Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI).
The resolution was the fruit of an understanding reaching bilaterally by
Kuwait and Iraq, HH the Prime Minister pointed out.
"The remains of only 236 out of more than 600 Kuwaiti and other national
MIAs have been accounted for more than 23 years after the catastrophe of the
invasion since August 2, 1990," he regretted
The bilateral ties thawed out remarkably in the recent years thanks to the
efforts of HH the Amir to settle the thorny issues; his visit to Iraq on March
29, 2012, helped turn over a new leaf in the relationship.
The two neighbors signed several deals on cooperation including one on the
maintenance of the border marks and a residential project in Umm Qasr, south
Iraq.
The Iraqi parliament approved in last July an agreement on launching a
joint governmental commission with Kuwait to iron out any remaining problems
in the bilateral ties.
Kuwait played a major role in the unanimous adoption of the UNSC Resolution
2107 (2013) which rid Iraq of its obligations under Chapter VII of the UN
Charter. (end)
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