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19:49 GMT
NEW YORK, Feb 2 (KUNA) -- UN official praised on Thursday the "exceptional and proactive" efforts and determination of Iraq's Government in pursuing the important work of tackling files with the neighboring State of Kuwait, namely the issue of re-collecting and returning items of the national archive of Kuwait.
UN Special Representative to the Secretary General Jan Kubis updated the Security Council with the 13th report of the Secretary General on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country national and missing Kuwaiti property, including the National Archives.
Positively, he said there was an increased number of witnesses that came forward to give information on this issue.
Even with the weight of regional challenges, Kubis told the Council that the strong working relations and positive dynamics between the two countries have led to a better cooperation, coordination and a measure of confidence with is invaluable in moving the process forward.
In recovering Kuwait's missing patrimony, the UN official confirmed that over 6,000 Kuwaiti books have been located and itemized from the libraries of the Kufa and Babil Universities. Ergo, the books are being prepared for an official handover, he added.
Kubis also confirmed that Iraqi security personnel seized what is believed to be an ancient manuscript stolen from the Kuwait Museum.
"This gives us all hope that a correct approach backed by determined efforts can lead to the discovery of the remainder of Kuwaiti property, in particular the National Archives," he said.
As this year marks the 26th year since the end of the First Gulf War, the UN official sadly expressed that until this day -regardless of its efforts and determination-the Iraqi government has yet to fully realize its obligation in addressing the human cost of that conflict and provide answers to the families of the missing.
At the end of his address, the UN official said "we owe it to the families of the deceased to continue supporting Iraq in this humanitarian process and to continue employing a multidimensional and innovative approach which is necessary for Iraq to honor and fulfill its international obligations under this file." (end)
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