GUIDANCE: UNSC CONSULTATIONS ON KUWAITI PROPERTY

UNCLAS STATE 036831 SENSITIVE SIPDIS USUN FOR GERMAIN AND KUJAWINSKI HAGUE FOR MANNING E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL UNSC IZ KU SUBJECT: GUIDANCE: UNSC CONSULTATIONS ON KUWAITI PROPERTY AND MISSING PERSONS, APRIL 16 ¶1. (U) This is an action request. USUN should draw from the following building blocks during April 16 consultations regarding repatriation by Iraq of missing Kuwaitis and Kuwaiti property, including the Kuwaiti national archives. ¶2. (SBU) Begin building blocks: -- I would like to begin today by thanking Ambassador Tarasov for his detailed work regarding the repatriation or return of all Kuwaiti and third-country nationals or their remains and the return of all Kuwaiti property, including archives, seized by the former Iraqi regime. These remain important issues and, while we welcome the increase in cooperation and contacts between Kuwait and Iraq, much work remains. -- It is our hope that the greatly improved environment in Iraq, which the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq helped bring about through its work on elections preparation and political reconciliation, will increase opportunities to investigate the whereabouts of the missing or their remains. Locating and identifying remains offers the opportunity to, in the words of the report, "end years of anguish and uncertainty for the families" of the missing. We also extend our thanks to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which chairs the Tripartite Commission, which is the primary mechanism for dealing with the issue of missing persons and does important work on behalf of the missing worldwide. -- Likewise, it is our hope that a serious and significant investigation can be undertaken as to the disposition of the Kuwaiti national archives, which are the priceless cultural patrimony of that nation. Iraq has also suffered the loss of some of its patrimony, when key objects were taken from its National Museum and National Library, and thus can appreciate the importance of this task. Similarly, in Resolution 1483, the Security Council took action to facilitate the return of these objects. -- We urge the Iraqi government to make a concerted push to provide whatever information it can to bring these matters to a close and to support the extension of the High Coordinator's mandate for a further six months to allow that push to occur. -- We welcome the recommendations in the High Coordinator's report as to the steps to address outstanding issues and highlight his conclusion that a lack of Iraqi ministerial capacity negatively impacts success in the resolution of these issues. -- As the Iraqi government increasingly takes responsibility for its own affairs, it is important that Iraq build this capacity, with the assistance of the international community as necessary. -- We look forward to Ambassador Tarasov's continued work and believe that at the end of a six-month extension we will be in a better position to decide the future of his mandate. End building blocks. CLINTON