§ Mr. David AtkinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will estimate how many Kuwaiti(a) missing persons and (b) prisoners of war remain in Iraq following the Gulf War; and if he will make a statement on progress on their return, or the return of their remains where appropriate, listing the action taken by (i) Her Majesty's Government and (ii) other Governments. [64399]
§ Mr. FatchettUnder UN Security Council resolution 687 Iraq is obliged to facilitate the repatriation of the 600 or more Kuwaitis missing since the Gulf War. The UK attends meetings of the Technical Sub-Committee in Kuwait and of the Tripartite Commission in Geneva, chaired by the International Committee of the Red Cross, with the aim of resolving these cases. Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the US, and France are also represented. Progress in these meetings has been hampered by continued Iraqi obstruction. To date, Iraq has only provided sufficient information to close three of the outstanding files.