Manama: The government of Kuwait plans to relocate 50 Iraqi households of residents living close to the border, under a deal which has pledged to create a 500-metre buffer zone between the two countries.
The new homes will be furnished and new schools and hospitals will be built, Jasem Al Mubaraki, the head of the foreign ministry Arab world division, said.
Relocating the Iraqis will allow the borders between the two countries to be more easily monitored. The 500-metres of no man's land on either side will not be used.
"The houses of the Iraqis obscure border signs, so we request that their homes be moved inside Iraq to facilitate the monitoring of the borders," Al Mubaraki said. "Kuwait has pledged to build schools and hospitals.”
Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. Following a war, which led to the US ejecting them, Kuwait has been pushing for the clear demarcation of the borders in the north.
In 1993, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 833, marking the land border between the two countries.
Iraq has repeatedly called for the lifting of the sanctions imposed by the Security Council under Chapter Seven of the UN Charter, saying it did not have the required financial resources.
However, a Kuwaiti politician said the request could not be considered unless the border issue was properly addressed and war reparations paid.
