|
|
 |
| Sunday, 5 May 2002 |
 |
|
 |
World |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
|
Iraq to return Kuwait's national archives -Annan UNITED NATIONS, May 3 (Reuters) - Iraq, in a gesture that could help improve ties with Kuwait, is ready to return its neighbor's national archives seized by Iraqi troops 12 years ago, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Friday. "If this does happen and the archives are transferred to Kuwait, it will be a positive development, and I hope it would also help improve relations in the region," Annan told reporters following two days of talks with an Iraqi delegation on a possible return to Baghdad of U.N. weapons inspectors. The archives are among a variety of Kuwaiti property missing since Baghdad's August 1990 invasion of the country, including military gear and museum pieces. Iraq occupied Kuwait for seven months, until it was driven out by a U.S.-led coalition during the 1991 Gulf War. The United Nations has been trying ever since to account for looted property as well as more than 600 missing Kuwaitis. Annan said he had initially heard the news about the archives from Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. This was confirmed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri during their talks, he added. Moussa said the Arab League would want to work with the United Nations to transfer the archives back to Kuwait, and Annan would now confer with the Kuwaiti authorities on the best way to do that, The U.N. chief said. The issue of the long-missing persons and articles has been a major stumbling block for Baghdad in its campaign for the lifting of sanctions imposed by the Security Council after the 1990 invasion. Iraqi officials have in the past refused to cooperate with international efforts to account for the missing. But an Arab summit in Beirut in March adopted a declaration calling on Iraq to cooperate in resolving the contentious issue, and Baghdad afterward expressed optimism about a rapprochement with Kuwait. |
|
News | Business | Features
| Editorial | Security Produced by Lake House |
