VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHC #6831 1042155
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 142137Z APR 09
FM SECSTATE WASHDC
TO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK IMMEDIATE 5658
INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD IMMEDIATE 5449
RUEHKU/AMEMBASSY KUWAIT IMMEDIATE 5919

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