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Annan presents report on UN force along Iraq-Kuwait border
United Nations, Oct 08: The UN observer force that patrolled the Iraq-Kuwait border for over 12 years contributed greatly to UN humanitarian efforts in Iraq following the recent Iraqi war, Secretary General Kofi Annan said.
United Nations, Oct 08: The UN observer force that patrolled the Iraq-Kuwait border for over 12 years contributed greatly to UN humanitarian efforts in Iraq following the recent Iraqi war, Secretary General Kofi Annan said.
In his final report on the United Nations Iraq-Kuwait Observation Mission, known as UNIKOM, Annan also noted continuing instability in the area.
"There were reports of Iraqis, including police elements, firing at truck drivers at the border and confiscating vehicles," said the report released yesterday.
"More recently in southern Iraq, `bandits' were reported to have killed two Kuwaitis and a Syrian, while several other claimed to have been fired on," it added. "There have also been reports of abductions for ransom of some people from Kuwait who were traveling in southern Iraq."
Annan's report was issued a day after the mission, set up after the 1991 Gulf War, officially ended.
According to the report, UNIKOM provided urgently needed material and equipment so the United Nations could continue operating in Baghdad. "UNIKOM prepared the material, which included prefabricated accommodation, supplies, water tanks and communications equipment, and arranged for its delivery," the report said. It also contracted cranes and trucks to dismantle and transport "patrol and observation bases and other facilities" to Baghdad instead of leaving them in Kuwait as planned.
Bureau Report
"There were reports of Iraqis, including police elements, firing at truck drivers at the border and confiscating vehicles," said the report released yesterday.
"More recently in southern Iraq, `bandits' were reported to have killed two Kuwaitis and a Syrian, while several other claimed to have been fired on," it added. "There have also been reports of abductions for ransom of some people from Kuwait who were traveling in southern Iraq."
Annan's report was issued a day after the mission, set up after the 1991 Gulf War, officially ended.
According to the report, UNIKOM provided urgently needed material and equipment so the United Nations could continue operating in Baghdad. "UNIKOM prepared the material, which included prefabricated accommodation, supplies, water tanks and communications equipment, and arranged for its delivery," the report said. It also contracted cranes and trucks to dismantle and transport "patrol and observation bases and other facilities" to Baghdad instead of leaving them in Kuwait as planned.
Bureau Report