http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesP...57&Language=enKuwait has "rightful" claim to sovereignty, territorial integrity -- de Mistura
Politics 6/18/2009 7:18:00 PM
UNITED NATIONS, June 18 (KUNA) -- The Special Representative to Iraq Staffan de Mistura on Thursday said Kuwait has "rightful" claims to its sovereignty and territorial integrity, and Iraq, too, is "rightly" believing that it is time to come out from under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter.
Briefing the Security Council on the periodic report of Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the activities of the UN Assistance Mission in Iraq (UNAMI), de Mistura said that regarding the outstanding Chapter 7 mandates, the Iraqi government is "rightly feeling that the time to turn the page is long overdue." The word "rightly" was not written in the original draft text of his speech.
"Kuwait, for its part has a righful claim to its sovereignty and territorial integrity," he added.
De Mistura did not read from the original text of the speech the following paragraph which he has crossed out: "It (Kuwait) needs assurances that abolition of Security Council resolutions does not imply abdication of responsibility for maintaining the integrity of the border as per resolution 833 of 1993." De Mistura said the Iraqi Government has shown "positive signs of increasing cooperation by inviting, for instance, a Kuwaiti delegation to Iraq to pursue the issue of missing Kuwaitis and speeding up the deployment of an Iraqi ambassador to Kuwait.
"We, on our part, should exert every effort in building on the current momentum. There are various creative options being floated that I hope will be discussed by the Security Council in the near future," he said.
The meeting was chaired by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu given "the importance" of the issue.
Iraqi Ambassador Hamid Al-Bayati highlighted during the same council session the steps his government took to deserve to come out from under Chapter 7. He told the council that Iraq has already started consultations with the Secretary-General on the review of relevant council resolutions in an attempt to come out from under Chapter 7.
"Based on our review of those resolutions, we find that Iraq has fulfilled all its obligations arising pursuant to those resolutions, both with regard to the impact of the occupation of Kuwait and to issues related to arms," he told the council.
He mentioned that Iraq has fulfilled all those obligations. Iraq, he noted, recognized the State of Kuwait and its borders and both states continue to cooperate for the maintenance of border pillars. Furthermore, he said that Iraq has returned the remains of 236 missing Kuwitis found in Iraq and 4,539 audio and video tapes.
He announced that Iraq will hand over to Kuwait next week 24 boxes containing old currency and stamps.
On the compensation issue, he said Iraq has, up to last April, paid USD 27.1 billion and there are USD 25.5 billion still due which is a "heavy burden on Iraq, which needs the money for services, reconstruction and development." "We hope that the Secretary-General and the Security Council will assist Iraq in returning to the international status it held before the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, an invasion which was one of the most atrocious crimes commited by Saddam Hussein and that the Iraqi people continue to pay a heavy price for," he urged.
-- De Mistura also told the council "I firmly believe we are at a critical juncture to be able to contribute to a significant improvement of the climate of cooperation taking into account concerns of both countries" Kuwait and Iraq.
Most council memberts ignored to raise the Chapter VII issue in their statements in the council, saying simply they are looking forward to Ban's report later this month. They concentrated, instead, on UNAMI activities and the "progress" it achieved on many fronts.
De Mistura told the council that he is "proud of what this mission has achieved in a short period of time and by our joint successes with the Iraqis in overcoming what sometimes appeared to be insurmountable challenges." "Together we have turned challenges and crises into opportunities," he added.
The past two years, he noted, have witnessed the Iraqis becoming "progressively fatigued over civil-strife, slowly shedding sectarian divisions, seeking to reconcile ... and (bridging) their difference for the country's return to normality." The Iraqi people, he stressed, have shown "remarkable resilience." They are now more than ever able to "determine the course of events in their own country." The recent attacks on civilians, he argued, should be seen as attempts by "isolated elements or groups trying to produce a feeling of insecurity, but they are not capable of destabilizing the country." "The future looks moderately bright and there is growing hope. If the Iraqis can avoid or defuse tensions, if they are capable of seeing changes in their daily lives through sustainable security gains, delivery of basic services and more political inclusiveness, all of which are realistic goals, then Iraq will flourish," he concluded.
US envoy to the UN Susan Rice stopped short of saying whether Iraq deserves to come out from under Chapter VII, but told the council that the "US firmly supports Iraq's continuing development as a sovereign and democratic nation ... A country that contributes to the peace and security of the region. A country that is sovereign stable and self-reliant." "To build on the progress we have made, regional and international support for Iraq is essential. We encourage all countries to help Iraq meet its goals and to support the Iraqi people as they pursue prosperity and peace," she added.
"the US remains deeply committed to Iraq" even though it plans, in accoredance with the US-Iraq Security agreement, to withdraw its combat troups from Iraqi cities, towns and villages no later than the end of this month, thus paving the way to the withdrawal of all US forces by 2011.
That withdrawal, she insisted, "in no way diminishes our long term partnership with Iraq." Until then, she noted, the US will continue our firm support for the Iraqi people as they assume full responsibility for their sovereign nation. We will continue to build a strong long-lasting strategic relationship with Iraq, one that respects the sovereignty and serves the intersts of both our countries." "As a friend and a strategic partner, we will work with Iraq's government to strengthen democratic institutions, uphold the rule of law and develop peaceful and cooperative relations with its neighbours," she said.
Libyan ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi bluntly told the council that the time has come for Iraq to come out from Chapter VII and that the "occupying forces, " in reference to US forces, should respect human rights in Iraq.
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