Related .. Iraq and UN Report December: His Excellency the Minister for human rights to meet with a high-level Coordinator for missing Kuwaiti property ... and .. Dec. 15, 2010 ..UN lifts sanctions against Iraq and ..UN ready to assist Kuwait, Iraq normalize relations - official and .. Also, next month .. Iraq's Maliki ~December 12th ~ Iraq's Leader Heading to U.S.
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
12/10/2011 Ban recommends extension of mission on Kuwaiti POW''sUnited Nations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon recommended to the Security Council to extend financing of the UN high-level Coordinator Gennady Tarasov's mandate on the issue of Kuwaiti prisoners for the next six months.
"In view of the potential for progress that lies ahead, I recommend that the Security Council extend the financing of the Coordinator's mandate until 30 June 2012 in order to continue to build upon the existing momentum towards the implementation" of the relevant Council resolution, Ban said in a report to the Council, addressed late on Friday.
"It appears that the search for missing Kuwaiti and third country nationals in Iraq is on track," he said. "I welcome the cooperation shown by the Government of Iraq in this respect and encourage it to take further practical steps towards fulfilling its obligations ... I would like to acknowledge the support provided by the Government of Kuwait," he added in his report.
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Tarasov's mandate is paid for by the Iraqi oil revenues through a UN fund.
Ban's recommendation to extend the financing of Tarasov's mandate came despite a letter last July by Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who said his Government "did not see the need to extend the Coordinator's mandate after December 2011, since the Tripartite Commission and its Technical Sub-Committee ... should be able to work effectively on the humanitarian file for the benefit of Iraq and Kuwait".
Ban recalled that Kuwaiti officials, whether in bilateral meetings with him or in various letters addressed to him "support the extension of the mandate of the High-level Coordinator in order to achieve substantive results that would help put a closure to this humanitarian file".
He mentioned, for instance, a letter addressed to him in mid-November by Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Khalid Al-Hamad Al-Sabah who pointed out that "no progress had been made" since 2004 in discovering the fate of the 369 missing persons, and stressed Kuwait's support to the extension of Tarasov's mandate.
Ban called on Iraq "to continue to work with Kuwait in the spirit of trust and confidence in order to achieve significant progress in the resolution of this humanitarian issue.
This, along with other necessary steps by Iraq to comply with its remaining obligations under relevant Council resolutions, would enhance chances of getting it out from under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, he argued.
Tarasov's priority is to facilitate the sending of joint exploratory missions to sites in Iraq where Kuwaiti and third country nationals may have been buried.
Ban said three such missions were conducted up to date: to Nassiriah, southern Iraq in December 2010, and to a near-by site of Khamissiah in June and September of this year.
"Although no human remains have been discovered, ...these missions represent a promising format for their further work on the ground. These missions have the potential to become an effective functional mechanism to fully probe the fate of missing persons," Ban said.
These efforts have "established confidence that serious engagement is underway" and hold out a "prospect of gradually producing tangible results," he added, stressing that concrete progress will require "strong commitment, constructive collaboration and sustained professional effort".
He noted, in this regard, that Iraqi Minister of Human Rights Mohammad Al-Sudaney informed Tarasov while in Baghdad that his ministry had prepared a plan of action for 2012 that accorded priority to more investigations at Khamisiyah, Ramadi, and Hilla in Iraq.
Al-Sudaney also informed Tarasov, according to Ban, that Iraq has received the equipment purchased from the Kuwaiti grant, of close to one million dollars, to excavate the mass graves and identify missing persons, adding that Iraq needs to work with the UN on this humanitarian file "within a specific timeframe".
In a related development, Ban said the remains of 32 Iraqi soldiers discovered by a mission of the Technical Sub-Committee (TSC) earlier this year were handed over to the Iraqi authorities last July, adding that a similar mission went to northern Kuwait at the end of November.
"Thus, the activities of the TSC have in fact become 'a two-way street,' dealing with missing persons both from Kuwait and Iraq," Ban noted.
Ban finally said he "remains concerned that no substantial progress has been made in the search for the Kuwaiti national archive, and that no credible information about its whereabouts has so far emerged".
He recalled that Iraq informed him in a letter late last month that it had found about 136 microfilm cassettes belonging to the official newspaper 'Kuwait today', and that it had sent a letter to the Kuwaiti authorities in this regard.
The Council is scheduled to take up the report on December 15th and Tarasov will be
Invited to brief the members on the latest developments.
The Council is scheduled to take up the report on December 15th and Tarasov will be invited to brief the members on the latest developments.link
01/12/2011
Allawi and Mutlaq discuss with Kubler developments in the political
BAGHDAD - Al Sabah
discussed the existing Iraqi President Iyad Allawi and Deputy Prime Minister, leader of the Iraqi List, Saleh al-Mutlaq with a representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, Martin Kobler in Baghdad yesterday developments the political situation in Iraq with the imminent withdrawal of U.S. troops.
A press release said the Office of Mutlaq news agency reported »Nina» that the meeting discuss the political situation of Iraq in light of internal developments and regional with the imminent withdrawal of U.S. military forces from the country, he said, adding that the meeting which was held at the home of al-Mutlaq and the presence of the leaders and deputies of the Iraqi List addressed the importance of dealing with the file of Camp Ashraf to ensure the safety of population and preserves their dignity and according to norms and international laws and humanitarian, according to the statement.
As stressed al-Mutlaq, the importance to take the UN mission in Iraq, its role in various joint humanitarian and political, economic, and maintenance of the principles of human rights and to promote justice and to monitor violations of the dignity of the Iraqi citizen and undermine the security and safety of his property, has expressed Kubler for hope that they will bring Iraqi political parties to the agreements leading to the strengthening of the foundations of democracy and human rights in Iraq, calling for parliamentary blocs and political forces to show some flexibility with a view to the participants establish a system of stable and homogeneous.
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Tuesday 29-11-2011
United nations Representative, Kobler, searches with Barzani and favour US withdrawal process and future of article 140 of the Constitution
Arbil, Had Martin Kobler, special representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq and his entourage, talks about the political situation in Iraq and Kurdistan region and the withdrawal of American forces and their implications and future of the United Nations regarding the implementation of article 140, with the President of Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani, head of the territorial Government, Dr. Barham Ahmad Saleh.
According to a statement by the Presidency of the territory received (News Agency news) Tuesday: President of Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani, discussed in Saladin, with Martin Kobler, special representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq and his Entourage in the range of issues concerning the question of the withdrawal of US troops in Iraq and its effects and the future of the United Nations regarding the implementation of article 140.
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to his meetings with political parties in Kirkuk, declaring that the representatives of the United Nations will continue its endeavours to find an appropriate solution for the implementation of this article.
For his part wished President of Kurdistan region Massoud Barzani to result from the discussions yielded positive results, stressing that the solution contains the implementation of article 140, saying: in this regard we are waiting for practical steps by the United Nations.
President Barzani: we are happy to play this role and we stand ready to provide all forms of support, and hope that these steps produce positive results.
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In another axis of the meeting discussed the situation in the region and particularly in Syria and exchanged views in this regard.
In another context, the Government discussed the Kurdistan Dr. Barham Ahmad Saleh, with Martin Kobler, special representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations in Iraq, the role of the United Nations and activate media channels in Iraq and Kurdistan, and provide the required substantive support to the Federal Government and the implementation of the articles of the Constitution.
Head of Government of Kurdistan region of the United Nations should focus on increasing and activate media channels in the Kurdistan region.
And exchanged views on the situation in Iraq after the withdrawal of US forces, the security situation in the areas after the withdrawal of u.s. troops time-outs, the two sides to take action to oppose terrorist threats on the lives and safety of citizens and possible infiltration areas time-outs to regions of Kurdistan, and also to the implementation of article 140 and address problems of security and service in these areas, particularly after the withdrawal of US troops will be more United Nations functions.
And he said to start planting campaign 5 million seedlings in Makhmour, referring to the attention of the Government of the territory of kordstnan to the future and the level of services and living conditions of people in the region.link
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
