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UN observers in Iraqi-Kuwaiti borders started withdrawal Tuesday evening, the Qatar-based al-Jazeera TV channel quoted UN sources as reporting. But the TV channel did not elaborate.
Meanwhile, it is learned that the UN Iraq-Kuwait Observer Mission (UNIKOM) is expected to withdraw from the borders Wednesday morning.
Last Saturday, the UN mission in Kuwait began to move its civilian staff to Kuwait City as a safety measure for a possible US-led war on Iraq.
The move, which was approved by UN chief Kofi Annan, was "a protective measure" for the safety of the civilian UN staff "in view of the situation," UNIKOM spokesman Daljeet Bagga said. There are over 1,000 UNIKOM members in Kuwait, including 195 military observers and 230 civilian staff.
The UNIKOM was set up to monitor the 200-km demilitarized border zone (DMZ) between Iraq and Kuwait in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War, triggered by Iraq's invasion of neighboring Kuwait, to ensure no violations occur in the DMZ.
(Xinhua News Agency March 12, 2003)
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