UN approves donations for Iraqi pilgrimages of $2000 each
Iraq-UN, Religion, 2/26/1999

Members of the UN Security Council have approved a proposal permitting Iraqi pilgrims to receive sums via a neutral international organization in order to be able to perform al-Haj (pilgrimage) rituals for this year.

The Dutch ambassador at the UN, Peter van Walsum, who also presides over the UN Sanctions Committee on Iraq told journalists following a meeting of the committee that he will convey the UN Security Council proposal to the Iraqi ambassador to the UN, Saeed Hassan.

Van Walsum added the sums which will be distributed among 22,000 Iraqi pilgrims are estimated at US $44 million, on the grounds that each pilgrim will receive US $2,000.

The Dutch ambassador said the UN authorities believe that transferring this sum directly to Iraqi banks is illegal and that these sums will be, instead, paid to a third party, which will arrange to distribute the sums among the Iraqi pilgrims before they leave Iraq.

Van Walsum did not identify the third party, but it is expected that this third party will cover groups like the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

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