GENEVA MEETING OF COMPENSATION COMMISSION GOVERNING COUNCIL TO REVIEW, PROCESS CLAIMS OF VICTIMS OF IRAQI INVASION OF KUWAIT
Press Release
IK/208
SC/6281
GENEVA MEETING OF COMPENSATION COMMISSION GOVERNING COUNCIL TO REVIEW, PROCESS CLAIMS OF VICTIMS OF IRAQI INVASION OF KUWAIT
19961016 (Delayed in transmission)GENEVA, 10 October (UN Information Service) -- The Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission, created in 1991 as a subsidiary organ of the Security Council to resolve claims submitted by victims of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait, will hold its twenty-second session from 14 to 16 October in Geneva.
During this session, the 15-member Council, chaired by Italy, will hear a comprehensive report from the Executive Secretary of the Commission on the processing of the claims filed. The Council will be asked to approve the sixth and final instalment of category "A" claims that have been submitted by individuals, in most cases by workers, who had to depart from Iraq or Kuwait as a result of the Iraqi invasion. With this last instalment, more than 920,000 claims in category "A" have been resolved, with a total amount of over $3 billion in compensation awarded.
The Council will also review the reports of the recipient governments covering the distribution of payments of awards to successful claimants in the second and third instalments of category "B" claims (serious personal injury or death claims) received from the Commission.
Representatives of non-member States of the Governing Council (Iraq, Kuwait, Pakistan and Sudan) are expected to appear before the Council. In that respect, the Governing Council will grant the Government of Iraq the allotted time necessary to present its views on issues that are within the mandate and jurisdiction of the Council and the order of the proceedings.
During this session, the Council will also consider the appointment of new panels of Commissioners to review claims in category "E" (corporate claims) and in category "F" (governmental claims).
An important issue for the Commission is the availability of funds for the payment of awards, which will largely depend on the timely implementation of resolution 986 (1995), the "oil-for-food" mechanism. This resolution allows Iraq to sell $2 billion of oil over an initial period of six months, 30 per cent of the proceeds of which will be transferred to the Compensation Fund for payment of awards to successful claimants.
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