President,

I thank Senior Representative Mari Yamashita for the briefing, and welcome the Assistant Foreign Minister of Kuwait and the Permanent Representative of Iraq to today’s meeting.

The issue of missing Kuwaiti persons and property, a legacy of the Gulf War, has remained unresolved for 35 years and continues to tug at the heartstrings of the Kuwaiti people. Properly addressing this historical legacy issue is of great significance for soothing the emotional wounds caused by the war, improving relations between Kuwait and Iraq, and promoting friendly cooperation among countries in the region. Achieving this goal requires not only the joint efforts of the parties concerned, but also the political support of the Security Council.

In September last year, the Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 2792, deciding to establish the position of Senior Representative to advance the resolution of the issue of missing Kuwaiti persons and property. Since her appointment, Senior Representative Yamashita has maintained close communication with both Kuwait and Iraq. Kuwait, Iraq, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have made great efforts in this regard. In July this year, a meeting of the Tripartite Commission was convened under the auspices of the ICRC, which China welcomes. We hope that Kuwait and Iraq will further demonstrate sincerity, patience, and determination, build upon the prior work, and, in keeping with the principle of mutual respect and friendly consultation, intensify their efforts and work in the same direction, so as to create favorable conditions for substantive progress on the issue.

Due to factors such as the overly long time span and changes in the geographical environment, efforts to address the issue of missing Kuwaiti persons and property face some real challenges. We support greater use of innovative technologies, biological analysis, and forensic examination, among other means, to improve the efficiency of locating and identifying missing Kuwaiti persons, and encourage the international community to provide the parties concerned with technical assistance and capacity-building support. We also encourage the UN to continue its good offices and strengthen confidence and mutual trust between Kuwait and Iraq in addressing the issue of missing persons and property, so as to jointly promote an early and satisfactory settlement of the issue.

As a good friend and good partner of both Kuwait and Iraq, China will continue to play a constructive role in promoting a proper settlement of the issue, advancing the continued improvement of bilateral relations, and deepening good-neighborly friendship between the two countries.

Thank you, President.