Ban urges Iraq, Kuwait to redouble efforts on missing

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon welcomed the “fragile” progress on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, and urged Iraq and Kuwait to redouble their efforts in the coming months, with the support of the Security Council, to achieve more “significant” progress, according to a statement released by the U.N. on Tuesday. “I welcome the fact that the first six months of the confidence and cooperation-building period have brought about initial indications of movement on the issue of missing Kuwaiti and third-country nationals,” Ban told the Security Council in a report. “I commend the concrete efforts undertaken by Iraq to meet its responsibilities under paragraph 14 of Security Council resolution 1284 of 1999. I appreciate Kuwait’s positive and supportive attitude,” he added. “Progress remains fragile, however. The main task of discovering and identifying the victims and, finally, closing their files lies ahead,” he writes, adding that this objective can be achieved only through increased cooperation between the two countries. “I call on Iraq and Kuwait to redouble their efforts in the coming months to achieve visible and significant progress in the search for missing persons and property, including archives. “This will not only help to resolve the long-standing humanitarian issue but also increase mutual trust and confidence, thus contributing to the resolution of other outstanding problems between the two countries,” he adds. High-level Coordinator Gennady Tarasov, the UN focal point on the issue, visited Kuwait from 30 May to 3 June to discuss ways to ensure the success of the confidence-and cooperation-building period. While there he had the chance to meet with both Kuwaiti and Iraqi representatives, who stressed their intention to accelerate practical steps to achieve progress. Efforts since 2003 have resulted in the recovery and identification of 236 individuals and the return of some Kuwaiti property. SH (S) 1