KUWAIT: NON ESSENTIAL UNITED NATIONS STAFF EVACUATED FROM IRAQ- KUWAITI BORDERS TO KUWAIT CITY AHEAD OF POSSIBLE WAR WITH IRAQ

Record ID: 338273

  • Title: KUWAIT: NON ESSENTIAL UNITED NATIONS STAFF EVACUATED FROM IRAQ- KUWAITI BORDERS TO KUWAIT CITY AHEAD OF POSSIBLE WAR WITH IRAQ
  • Date: 9th March 2003
  • Summary: (EU) EDGE OF DEMILITARIZED ZONE, NEAR IRAQI-KUWAIT BORDER, KUWAIT (MARCH 9, 2003) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 1. WIDE OF AREA / SIGN FOR UN DEMILITARIZED ZONE 0.06 (EU) ROAD TO KUWAIT CITY, NORTHERN KUWAIT (MARCH 9, 2003) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 2. VARIOUS OF U.N. BUSES MOVING ALONG ROAD FROM DMZ TOWARDS KUWAIT CITY (7 SHOTS) 0.47 3. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIKOM PRESS INFORMATION OFFICER BAGGA DALJEET SAYING: "We have moved to phase three which means status alert red and in this phase we are trying to relocate some of the non-essential staff from the DMZ to Kuwait City." 0.59 4. CLOSE OF U.N. FLAG 1.03 5. SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) DALGEET SAYING: "Right now we are in phase three and the next phase is very crucial: it's phase four which means like ceasing all operations in the DMZ and then moving everybody to the city and then the phase five would be like you know evacuating everybody out of the country. So right now, we are in phase three, the next one would be phase four but I do not know when it's going to happen although we hope that there's going to be peace, and we don't see this situation arising." 1.28 (EU) KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT (MARCH 9, 2003) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 6. WIDE OF EXTERIOR OF U.N. HEADQUARTERS WHERE NON-ESSENTIAL STAFF EVACUATED TO 1.34 7. SLV SECURITY CHECKING UN VEHICLE 1.39 8. SLV UN VEHICLES PARKED OUTSIDE BUILDING 1.45 9. CLOSE OF SIGN "UNIKOM LIASON AND SUPPORT CENTRE, KHEITAN" 1.51 10. SLV SECURITY BARRIER LIFTING TO ALLOW LORRY TO ENTER COMPOUND 2.00 11. WIDE OF TRAFFIC DRIVING PAST UN CENTRE 2.08 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 24th March 2003 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: EDGE OF DEMLILITARIZED ZONE, NEAR IRAQ-KUWAIT BORDER, ROAD TO KUWAIT CITY, NORTHERN KUWAIT AND KUWAIT CITY, KUWAIT
  • Country: Kuwait
  • Reuters ID: LVA4EXQA9LE37PXGSFBQUVACI14S
  • Story Text: The United Nations has begun evacuating non-essential
    staff from the Iraq-Kuwait border areas to Kuwait City ahead
    of a possible U.S. invasion of Iraq.



    United Nations military observers on the Iraq-Kuwait
    said the evacuation of civilians working on the border on
    Sunday (March 9) was a precautionary measure.

    The U.N. Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM) has also
    ceased air and maritime patrols of the demilitarized zone.

    The evacuation of UNIKOM's 230 civilians began on
    Saturday (March 8) when the first batch was removed from
    residential quarters in the demilitarized zone that runs the
    length of the 130 mile land border. More of them left on
    Sunday.

    "We have moved to phase three which means status alert
    red and in this phase we are trying relocate some of the
    non-essential staff from the DMZ to Kuwait City", said UNIKOM
    press information officer Bagga Daljeet.

    He added that among the non-essential staff moving,
    there were about 155 military officers and another 155
    civilians. Daljeet said some started moving on Saturday (March
    8) and others were following on Sunday (Narch 9) and Monday
    (March 10).

    "Right now we are in phase three and the next phase is
    very crucial: it's phase four which means like ceasing all
    operations in the DMZ (demilitarized zone) and then moving
    everybody to the city and then the phase five would be like
    you know evacuating everybody out of the country," Daljeet
    said, hoping the evacuation will not reach the last stage.

    "The next one would be phase four but I do not know when
    it's going to happen although we hope that there's going to be
    peace, and we don't see the situation arising".

    U.N. investigators reported on Friday (March 7) that a
    commercial contractor was building new gates in a fence
    separating the two countries, a barrier U.S. forces would have
    to cross if they invade Iraq from the Gulf state. The report
    followed accounts of newly-made holes in the barrier.

    UNIKOM, which monitors the 12-year-old demilitarized
    border zone said the building of the seven gates -- wide
    enough to accommodate a tank -- followed recent sightings of
    U.S. soldiers entering the Kuwaiti side of the zone.

    The project triggered speculation the work was being carried
    out in preparation for war. Tens of thousands of U.S. and
    British troops are in Kuwait preparing for possible air and
    ground attacks on Iraq.

    UNIKOM has not publicly said what it would do if U.S.

    and British forces stormed through its demilitarized zone in
    case President Bush decides to go to war with Iraq over
    weapons of mass destruction he says Iraq is hiding.

    Arab and Western diplomats say that the U.N. force will
    in effect be dismantled shortly before any military action and
    withdrawn to Kuwait City.



  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register