Kuwait has proposed an international conference in the Egyptian capital to resolve the fate of prisoners it believes are still held in Iraq since the 1991 Gulf war, Salem al-Sabah, Head of the national committee for prisoners, said Sunday.
"There is a Kuwaiti proposal on the table to hold an international conference in Cairo on prisoners and human rights," sponsored by Egypt and the Arab League, Sabah told members of the press following a meeting with Arab league Secretary General Amr Mussa.
In addition, he criticized Iraq's "non-cooperation with the league to solve this issue."
Sabah held talks Sunday morning with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the presidential office said. A Kuwaiti source said that Mubarak responded favorably to Sabah's proposal.
Kuwaiti authorities believe that 605 Kuwaiti and other nationals disappeared during the Iraqi occupation of their country from August 1990 to February 1991.
Iraqi officials, on their part, have admitted that their country took prisoners, but said they lost track of them during an uprising by Shiite Muslims in southern Iraq following the retreat from Kuwait.
Iraq also claims 1,142 of its nationals have been missing since the 1991 conflict. (Albawaba.com)
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