UN Compensation Committee funds third repayment stage

The United Nations Compensation Commission yesterday approved funds for the reimbursement of claimants who were found to have suffered losses in Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The commission dispersed $497.8 million among 17 governments for distribution to nearly 200,000 claimants.

The claimants belong to categories A and C in the repayment program, covering individuals who were forced to leave Iraq or Kuwait as a result of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait and individual claims of less than $100,000, respectively. Category B covers claims dealing with deaths or serious injury. Claimants in categories A and C are to receive up to $2,500 before funds are dispersed to corporations, governments or individuals with claims of more than $100,000. Additional payments will be made later to claimants in categories A and C whose claims are greater than $2,500.

This is the third installment of payments to claimants in categories A and C. The payments are funded by 30% of the revenues from the Iraq-UN oil-for-food program.