UN HIGH LEVEL COORDINATOR ON IRAQ-KUWAIT ISSUES

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000565 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL PHUM UNSC KU IZ SUBJECT: UN HIGH LEVEL COORDINATOR ON IRAQ-KUWAIT ISSUES BRIEFS SECURITY COUNCIL ¶1. (SBU) Gennady Tarasov, the recently appointed UN High Level Coordinator (replacing deceased Russian diplomat Vorontsov) for the repatriation or return of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals or their remains and the return of all Kuwaiti property seized by Iraq, met privately with the Security Council June 28. Tarasov reported that limited progress has been made in accounting for human remains of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals, with the chief limitation in recovery being the unstable security situation in Iraq. The total number of Kuwaiti and third-country nationals whose mortal remains have been identified by the Kuwaiti authorities is 235, but 350 Kuwaiti and third-country nationals are still unaccounted for. Tarasov lamented that there has been little progress made in finding the Kuwaiti archives, and called on the international community to provide information regarding the location of the archives. Tarasov stated that his recent visits to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait were very positive. He also reported that Iraqi PermRep Bayati had invited him to visit Baghdad to discuss the situation, and he commended Iraq for returning hundreds of Kuwaiti radio and television recordings. Tarasov said he looks forward to his trip to Baghdad and further consultations with Iraq, Kuwait, the Organization of the Islamic Conference, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the League of Arab States, and members of the Tripartite Commission. He summarized his mandate as "strictly humanitarian." In response to Amb Wolff's intervention regarding the urgency of accounting for CPT Michael S. Speicher (MIA since January 17, 1991),Tarasov stated that CPT Speicher is still an important issue on the Tripartite Commission's agenda that is discussed regularly. ¶2. (SBU) Council members paid tribute to the late Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, expressed their support for Ambassador Tarasov, and welcomed the news that the GOI had formally invited Ambassador Tarasov to Iraq. Members of the Council reaffirmed their support for the efforts of the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Tripartite Commission and its Technical Subcommittee, and urged renewed efforts by all parties to resolve the situation. Of note, Russia called for the search for human remains to continue until all are found and stated that Tarasov's mandate and the search for the Kuwaiti national archives should not cease without "full and ultimate clarification" that they would not be found. Indonesia, France and Italy called on Iraq and Kuwait to redouble their efforts so that Tarasov's mandate is successfully concluded without delay. Khalilzad