KUWAIT: VisitingIraqi Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Ambassador Hazem Al-Yousefi announcedyesterday that Iraq handed over to Kuwait 42,000 books belonging to KuwaitNational Library and Kuwait University. These books, recently found in Iraq,were "seized" by troops of the former Iraqi regime during Kuwait'soccupation in 1990, Yousefi said in a statement to journalists on sidelines ofthe delivery ceremony. Iraqi authorities are seeking to close file of Kuwaitiproperties in Iraq before the yearend, said Yousefi, adding competentauthorities were waiting for a decision in this respect by Prime Minister AdelAbdelmahdi.
Moreover, Iraq isexerting tremendous efforts to close file of the missing Kuwaitis, the Iraqiundersecretary stated. The Baghdad authorities are using satellite images andadvanced drilling machines, he said, reconfirming that the intensive effortsled to the recent discovery of the mass grave in Samawa desert containing remainsof 46 human bodies, 32 of whom were identified as deceased Kuwaitis.
Yousefi affirmedthat the Iraqi government is serious about efforts to close all pending files"caused by the former regime". Stressing the depth of the tiesbetween the two brotherly countries, the Iraqi official indicated at reciprocalvisits by senior officials of the two countries as a prelude to a new period ofrelations, joint investments and mutual cooperation.
Kuwaiti AssistantForeign Minister for International Organizations' Affairs Counselor AbdulazizAl-Jarallah confirmed that the ministry of foreign affairs had taken deliveryof 800 boxes containing 42,000 books from the Iraqi side. The books belong tothe national library and Kuwait University, he added. The books and other itemsthat had been brought back were part of Kuwait's archives, which were stolenduring the blatant Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
The issue ofKuwaiti prisoners and missing persons was discussed with the Iraqiundersecretary as a humanitarian cause that concerns all Kuwaitis, he said,re-stressing that the Kuwaiti government represented by the foreign andinterior ministries would spare no effort to close this file and determine thefate of all those missing. He expressed gratitude to the United Nations forsponsoring the handover in line with Security Council Resolution 2107 (issuedin the year 2013) that partially mentions the necessity of bringing backKuwaiti properties looted during the invasion.
Meanwhile, DrKamel Abuljelil, Director General of the National Library and Secretary Generalof the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, said the books and itemsare of valuable content, expressing pleasure over handing them back in a movethat will bolster bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries,anew.
Acting UNResident Coordinator Hideko Hadzialic congratulated the Iraqi and Kuwaitileaderships for this tangible improvement in bilateral relations, also valuingKuwait's constructive role at the Security Council, in addition to its hostinga conference for rebuilding regions liberated from the so-called Islamic Statein Iraq, resulting in the allocation of $30 billion for this purpose. She alsovoiced satisfaction with Iraqi government efforts for backing cooperation andfriendly ties with Kuwait, an approach that will facilitate resolving difficultissues between the two sides. - KUNA