VZCZCXYZ0018
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHKU #4536/01 3331303
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291303Z NOV 06
FM AMEMBASSY KUWAIT
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 7727
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0736
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 1332
RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS PRIORITY 1032
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 2301

UNCLAS KUWAIT 004536 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FOR NEA/ARP AND PRM; OSD FOR ASD/DPMO CRONAUER; LONDON FOR 
TSOU; PARIS FOR WALLER 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL PHUM AORC MARR IZ SA KU
KUWAIT-IRAQ RELATIONS 
SUBJECT: 29TH MEETING OF THE TRIPARTITE COMMISSION AND THE 
52ND TECHNICAL SUBCOMMITTEE SESSION: 12 CASES CLOSED 
 
¶1. Summary. The 29th Meeting of the Tripartite Commission on 
Gulf War Missing met in Geneva on November 15, 2006.  The 
Commission announced the closure of 12 cases.  The Commission 
agreed on a plan of action to address the inability of the 
Commission's Technical Subcommittee to conduct any field 
missions to burial sites in Iraq during the past year.  The 
plan would have security for the missions organized and 
provided by the Government of Iraq and Iraqi security forces. 
 The possibility of assistance from Multi-National Force Iraq 
(MNF-I) was discussed subject to MNF-I resources being 
necessary and available for the mission.  Satellite and/or 
high altitude imagery and imagery analysis expertise were 
requested from member states to assist with locating burial 
sites in Iraq and Kuwait.  End summary. 
 
¶2.  The 29th Tripartite Commission (TC) on Gulf War Missing 
meeting was convened by the International Committee of the 
Red Cross in Geneva on November 15, 2006.  Delegations from 
Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, France, the United Kingdom and 
the United States of America met to review progress on 
locating, identifying and repatriating missing victims of the 
1990-91 Gulf War.  The Commission announced the closure of 12 
cases of previously unidentified human remains, 3 Kuwaiti and 
9 Iraqi. 
 
Exhumation of Grave Sites in Iraq 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  Kuwait reported that no assessment or exhumation missions 
had taken place in Iraq since the 28th TC meeting.  Kuwait 
remained convinced that the Kerbala III site contains Kuwaiti 
human remains, but more precise information is required to 
locate the burial sites. 
 
¶4.  Iraq stated that it had received information about 
possible Kuwaiti human remains at the Tel Al-Laham site, but 
no site assessment was made yet.  Kuwait stated it had 
information about a site in Nasseriya which might correspond 
to the Tel Al-Laham site but the exact location remains to be 
established.  The Iraqi Ministry of Human Rights reported it 
is coordinating with Iraqi witnesses who have information 
about burial sites in Iraq and Kuwait, specifically in Ramadi 
and on the Baghdad International Airport road. 
 
Plan of Action 
-------------- 
 
¶5. In recognition that assessments and exhumations of new and 
known burial sites in Iraq have come to a standstill, the TC 
agreed on a plan of action to find solutions that would allow 
TC activities to move forward in Iraq.  The plan contains two 
elements, security assistance to field missions, and 
provision of satellite/high altitude imagery by TC members. 
 
¶6. The key components of the security assistance plan are: 
 
(1) Kuwait and Iraq will prepare a list of sites where 
exhumations will occur; 
(2) Iraq will organize security protection for these field 
missions which will be provided by Iraqi Security Forces; 
(3) Security assistance from the 'Multi-National Force Iraq' 
may be requested, "if required and if possible"; 
(4) Kuwait will provide the technical team to conduct the 
field missions. 
 
¶7. The requested satellite/high altitude imagery assistance 
consists of TC members providing available imagery of known 
and suspected burial sites and providing experts to help with 
interpretation of the images.  Both the United Kingdom and 
the United States cautioned that there may be restrictions on 
the availability and sharing of the requested imagery, but 
promised best efforts to be helpful. 
 
¶8. To move assessments and exhumations forward in Kuwait, 
Iraq will encourage witnesses in Iraq to travel to Kuwait to 
assist in field missions. 
 
¶9. Kuwait reported that it is continuing its identification 
activities on approximately 100 human remains exhumed from 
Samawa, Kerbala, Ramadi, Amarah, Habbanieh and Kuwait. 
 
¶10. The United States delegation affirmed its continuing 
commitment to determine the fate of Navy Captain Michael 
Scott Speicher. 
 
¶11. The 30th Tripartite Commission Meeting was set for 
November 14, 2007 in Kuwait, preceded by bilateral meetings 
between members and the chair on November 13. 
 
¶12. The Commission Meeting was attended by: 
 
Iraq 
---- 
Dr. Ahmad M. Baker, Head of delegation 
Mr. Kazem M. Kazem 
Mr. Yaqoob K. Haider 
 
 
Kuwait 
------ 
Dr. Ibrahim M. Al-Shaheen, Head of delegation 
Mr. Rabea S. Al-Adsani 
Dr. Sultan Al-Khalaf 
Mr. Fozan Al-Fozan 
Dr. Mohammad S. Al-Hadad 
Mr. Sadiq Marafi 
 
 
Saudi Arabia 
----------------------- 
Prince Turki Bin Mohammad Bin Saud Al-Kabir, Head of 
delegation 
M.G. Ibrahim M. Al-Amro 
M.G. Abdelrahman M. Sherif 
Mr. Jamal H. Akeel 
Mr. Zoheir M. Al-Idrissi 
Mr. Abdallah Al-Sheih 
B.G. Ahmad M. Omar 
Mr. Khaled S. Al-Torairi 
Mr. Fahad J. Al-Juraid 
 
 
France 
------ 
Ambassador Corinne Breuze, Head of delegation 
 
 
United Kingdom 
-------------- 
Ambassador Stuart Laing, Head of delegation 
Ms. Helen Upton 
 
 
United States of America 
------------------------ 
Ambassador Richard LeBaron, Head of delegation 
Mr. Adrian Cronauer 
Mr. Donald Blome 
 
 
International Committee of the Red Cross 
---------------------------------------- 
Mr. Balthasar Staehelin, Chairman of the Tripartite 
Commission, Delegate-General for the Middle East and Africa 
Mr. Jean-Michel Monod, Chairman of the Technical Subcommittee 
Mr. Georges Comninos, Head of Operations for Middle East and 
North Africa 
Mr. Pierre-Anddre Junod, Deputy Head of Operations for Middle 
East and North Africa 
Mr. Eric Marclay, Deputy Head of Operations for Middle East 
and North Africa 
Mr. Karl Anton Mattli, Head of Delegation ICRC Iraq 
Mr. Micha Wedekind, Delegate for 'Missing' files for Iraq 
 
 
********************************************* * 
For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s 
 
Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ 
********************************************* * 
LEBARON