News-Info-Alerts

Re: Iran Asks ICRC For Help With Iranian POWs and Martyrs

From: POW-MIA InterNetwork

Date: August 07, 2003

"MIA Search Committee deeply concerned about Iranian war martyrs in Iraq

Tehran, Aug 6, IRNA -- Iran called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to take direct action in locating the remains of Iranian soldiers in Iraq who were martyred during the 1980-88 Iraqi-imposed war, an official said.

They were discovered recently in Al-Zubair (Basra) and al-Najmi (Safwan) regions.

Head of the Search Committee for Soldiers Missing in Action (MIAs) Brigadier Mir-Feysal Baqerzadeh said, " After several months of Iraq's occupation and digging out of several mass graves, six plans of the committee on locating the remains of Iranian martyrs have been aborted due to problems raised by the occupiers, and lack of the ICRC cooperation."

Lukewarm measures taken by ICRC in locating the remains of war martyrs in Iraq have given rise to serious concerns, he said.

He added that although Kuwait had already promised to cooperate, the Kuwaiti officials have not acted effectively in this regard. Baqerzadeh asked religious jurisprudents in Iraq to announce religious duty of those who have found the bodies and thus prepare grounds for bringing back the remains to Iran.

©2000 Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA)"