Kuwait Times, Tuesday, Sep 22, 2020 | Safar 05, 1442
Kuwait says human remains handover follows protocols
Kuwait:
Kuwait said on Sunday that the process of receiving human remains from
Iraq, believed to belong to some of its nationals who had gone missing during
the 1991 Gulf war, is in line with established protocols. Given the humanitarian
nature of the issue, the process is overseen by the International Committee of
the Red Cross (ICRC), said Rabie Al-Adsani, the head of a foreign ministry
committee investigating the matter.
“Proper DNA analysis determines if the human remains truly belong to Kuwaiti
prisoners of war,” he said, adding that if the identity of the remains is
“proven beyond doubt,” then the families of the victims would be notified
immediately. The ministry has always kept the families of Kuwaiti prisoners of
war abreast of the latest information on the fate of their loved ones, the
official highlighted, saying it was a “humanitarian and legal obligation.”
Conversely, if DNA analysis proves that the remains do not belong to Kuwaiti
nationals, then the bodies would be “handed back” to Iraq, through the works of
a ICRC-chaired committee linking the Gulf neighbors, Saudi Arabia, the US,
Britain and France, added the official. He went on to thank all parties involved
for their efforts to “bring closure” to this pressing matter.