BAGHDAD: Iraqi Defense Ministry said Monday it would hand over to Kuwaiti authorities samples of human remains that were recently found in southern Iraq and might belong to missing Kuwaiti citizens. The remains were found in two locations near Nuqrat Al-Salman area in southern Al-Muthanna Governorate, the ministry said in a statement. Cooperation between Iraq, Kuwait and the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) contributed to discovery of the remains, it added.

The ministry said the remains were exhumed and sent to laboratory in Baghdad to examine if they match DNA samples of families of missing Kuwaitis. Iraq, it added, would hand over samples of all remains for further DNA tests. On June 20, a joint statement by ICRC-affiliated Tripartite Commission announced recovery of the remains, offering hope for families of missing people from 1990-91 Gulf War. Kuwait and Iraq are the other Commission members.

Kuwaiti Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah had welcomed ICRC's endeavors which contributed to finding the remains "which we hope belong to Kuwaiti citizens." Kuwait, he added, was awaiting "important positive developments" that would achieve concrete progress on the ground in order to end over 28 years of suffering of families of the missing. Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled, who said Kuwait would spare no efforts to know fate of missing citizens to close this humanitarian file, commended "genuine desire" of Iraq to fulfill UN-related obligations towards Kuwait. - KUNA