§ The Earl of Sandwichasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they can confirm reports of the whereabouts of Kuwaiti prisoners of war and other persons missing since the Gulf War; and what action they are taking. [HL3949]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanWe regret that not one of the 605 Kuwaitis missing after the Gulf War has so far been found alive. The UN envoy, Ambassador Yuli Vorontsov, reported recently that a number of remains at a recently discovered mass grave site at Samarra in Iraq were believed to be missing Kuwaiti nationals. The Government of Kuwait have confimed the remains of one missing national. The Tripartite Committee established after the invasion of Kuwait, under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has begun to investigate mass graves in Iraq. The coalition has so far received reports of more than 50 mass grave sites and we believe there may be more than 80. The UK sent a team of forensic experts to Iraq who have made recommendations on the treatment of mass graves, including identification programmes. The Coalition Provisional Authority has set up an Office of Human Rights and Transitional Justice which will put these recommendations into effect.