Representative of Iraqi foreign ministry has announced that more than 42,000 valuable books that were looted from Kuwait National library and Kuwait University during the invasion by Iraqi troops under Saddam Hussein, and which were recently discovered in Iraq, have been returned to Kuwait.
Making the announcement, the visiting Iraqi Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Legal Affairs and Multilateral Relations, Hazem Al-Yousefi, clarified that the files dealing with Kuwaiti property stolen during the invasion would hopefully be closed in the near future, and that the officials were working on identifying any more missing objects before the end of this year, and pending decision by Iraqi Prime Minister Adel Abdel Mahdi.
Regarding the remains of Kuwaitis who had gone missing during the seven-month-long occupation, Al-Yousefi said that the foreign ministry and other related entities were working very hard and have achieved great success in this matter over the years.
He pointed out that with the aid of satellite images and sophisticated excavation tools a mass grave was located in Al-Samawa desert, which contained the remains of 46 human bodies, of which 32 were identified as belonging to Kuwaitis. He also added that last November, Iraq had handed over 28 boxes of radio and TV archives to Kuwait.
He added that the Iraqi government is serious on efforts to close all pending files “caused by the former regime.” He stressed the depth of the ties between the two brotherly countries, and indicated that reciprocal visits by senior officials of the two countries was a prelude to a new period of relations, joint investments and mutual cooperation.
For his part, the Kuwaiti Assistant Foreign Minister for International Organizations’ Affairs Counsellor Abdulaziz Al-Jarallah, confirmed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had taken delivery of 800 boxes containing 42,000 books, from the Iraqi side.
He stressed that the Kuwaiti Government represented by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Interior Affairs would spare no effort to close this file and determine the destiny of all those who have gone missing. He also expressed gratitude to the United Nations for sponsoring the handover,
Meanwhile, Dr. Kamel Abuljelil, Director General of the Kuwait National Library and Secretary General of the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters, expressed pleasure on receiving the valuable books back and said the move by Iraq will bolster the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries.
Speaking at the handover event, the UN Acting Resident Coordinator, Hideko Hadzialic, congratulated the Iraqi and Kuwaiti leaderships for the tangible improvement in the bilateral relations. She also voiced satisfaction with the Iraqi government’s efforts for backing the cooperation and friendly ties with Kuwait, which she hoped would be an approach that would facilitate resolving any remaining files between the two sides.
