NEW YORK, July 29 (KUNA) -- UN Security Council welcomed the strong bilateral relations between Iraq and Kuwait and commended the Government of Kuwaitآ’s continued support for Iraq in its efforts to achieve stability.
In a press statement issued today by the Japanese-led Council, the members of the Security Council encouraged the two countries, as per Security Council resolution 2107, to collaborate closely through the tripartite mechanism on the file of missing Kuwaiti persons and third-country nationals to achieve further concrete results.
The members of the Security Council noted the limited progress made on this issue recently and expressed their regret that no cases of missing Kuwaiti persons have been solved and no human remains exhumed over the past 11 years, reiterating their deepest sympathy and condolences to the families of the missing.
While recognizing the considerable challenges facing Iraq at this time, the 15-member body called on the Government of Iraq to continue in its efforts to achieve tangible progress with respect to returning all missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals or their remains, in addition to returning Kuwaiti property, including the national archives. However, the UNSC recognized that important steps have recently been taken to reinvigorate this file, and commended the momentum, energy and positive engagement of the Government of Iraq.
In the statement, the Council members were encouraged by the commitment of the Iraqi Ministry of Defense to the file, as evidenced by recent activities, and welcomed the adoption of the 2016 Iraqi plan of action with the inclusion of the Kuwaiti recommendations, and strongly encouraged the Governments of Iraq and Kuwait to reconvene the Joint Property Committee, every six months, as agreed.
Expressing their strong support for the perseverance of the members of the tripartite mechanism and its chair, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in an effort to locate the remains of the missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, the Council supported the Secretary Generalآ’s opinion that "ascertaining the fate of missing persons and providing answers to their grieving families depend on steadfast commitment, action and the adoption of new and innovative ways to push the file forward." The members of the Security Council expressed their intention to remain engaged in this issue.
On July 15, the members of the Security Council were briefed by the Special Representative of the Secretary General and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), Jan Kubis, on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals and missing Kuwaiti property, including the national archives, following the recent report of the Secretary-General. In this regards, the members of the Security Council commended the efforts of UNAMI, its Special Representative and Deputy Special Representative for Political Affairs to continue to promote, support and facilitate the efforts of the Government of Iraq. (end) mao.bs