COMPENSATION COMMISSION GOVERNING COUNCIL CONCLUDES NINETEENTH SESSION
Press Release
IK/185
COMPENSATION COMMISSION GOVERNING COUNCIL CONCLUDES NINETEENTH SESSION
19951214 Geneva, 13 December (UN Information Service) -- The Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission today concluded its nineteenth session, which began on 11 December, under the presidency of Giuseppe Baldocci (Italy), by deciding to pay $2.45 million to 719 successful claimants in the final instalment of category "B" (serious personal injury and death) claims arising from the Persian Gulf war.With the conclusion of the proceedings in that claims category, the only category "B" claims that remain pending are those of approximately 550 missing persons, mostly Kuwaitis, whose fate is still unknown. With the latest award amounts approved, a total of $13,460,000 in compensation has been made available to over 4,000 category "B" claimants from 40 countries and three international organizations (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, United Nations Development Programme and United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East filing claims on behalf of Palestinians).
Also in the course of the session, the Council approved the report of the Panel of Commissioners for the fifth instalment of category "A" (departure) claims, awarding approximately $784 million to more than 217,000 individuals. With the inclusion of those figures from the fifth instalment, the Commission to date has awarded $2.6 billion to approximately 800,000 successful category "A" claimants. The 140,000 claims that remain pending in that category are being checked as possible duplicates or will need further individual examination. It is expected that the sixth and final instalment of category "A" claims will be concluded in mid-1996.
The Governing Council also adopted procedures to enhance the efficiency and regulate the time-frame for completion of the work of the panels of Commissioners resolving claims in categories D, E and F. The Council also requested the Executive Secretary of the Commission, Carlos Alzamora, to write to all Governments that have submitted category D, E and F claims in order that they may identify the identities of individuals and any other information of a confidential nature from a business perspective that should be removed before panels of Commissioners may provide the claims documents to third parties.
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During the course of the session, the Executive Secretary also reported to the Council that the Government of Kuwait had transferred to the United Nations Escrow Account $613,780 as revenue obtained from the sale of the cargoes of seized ships carrying illegal Iraqi oil exports, of which 30 per cent will be made available to the Commission's Compensation Fund. The Commission is continuing its efforts to obtain similar revenues from the sale of the cargoes of other seized ships.
The Governing Council accepted for filing 271 late claims submitted in categories A, B, C (individual property loss) and D but rejected the filing of 1,326 other late claims in those categories. In addition, the Governing Council accepted the filing of six late claims in category E (corporate claims). The Council also set a final deadline of 1 January 1996 for the continued acceptance of the filing of individual late claims in categories A, B, C and D.
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