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Iraq Pays another $380m Reparations to Kuwait

By John Lee.

The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) made available $380 million to the Government of the State of Kuwait towards the Commission’s remaining claim with an outstanding award balance.

The United Nations Compensation Commission is a subsidiary organ of the United Nations Security Council. It was established in 1991 in accordance with Security Council resolutions 687 (1991) and 692 (1991) to process claims and pay compensation for losses and damages incurred by individuals, corporations, Governments and international organizations as a direct result of Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait (2 August 1990 to 2 March 1991).

The Commission received approximately 2.7 million claims and concluded its review of all claims in 2005. Approximately$52.4 billion was awarded to over 100 Governments and international organizations for distribution to the successful 1.5 million claims in all claim categories.

Successful claims are paid from the United Nations Compensation Fund which receives a percentage of the proceeds generated by the export sales of Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products. This rate was set at five per cent under Security Council resolution 1483 (2003) and reaffirmed in subsequent resolutions. Pursuant to Governing Council decision 276 adopted in November 2017, the percentage was set at 0.5 per cent for 2018, 1.5 per cent for 2019 and 3 per cent for 2020.

The rate will remain at 3 per cent until such time as the outstanding compensation has been paid in full. Payments are made on a quarterly basis utilizing all available funds in the Compensation Fund under Governing Council decision 267 (2009).

With today’s payment, the Commission has paid $50.7 billion, leaving approximately $1.7 billion to be paid towards the outstanding claim. This category E claim was submitted by the Government of the State of Kuwait on behalf of the Kuwait Petroleum Corporation and awarded $14.7 billion in 2000 for oil production and sales losses as a result of damages to Kuwait’s oil field assets. It represents the largest award by the Commission.

(Source: UNCC)

The post Iraq Pays another $380m Reparations to Kuwait first appeared on Iraq Business News.

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Japanese Company considers Gas Pipeline and Petchem Plant

By John Lee.

Iraq has reportedly contracted Japan’s Toyo Engineering to help build a gas pipeline to Kuwait and a petrochemical plant as Baghdad.

According to a report from Reuters, the move will help Iraq to reduce flaring and finish paying the reparations owed to Kuwait for the invasion in 1990.

The project would allow Kuwait to reduce its dependency on Qatar as a supplier of gas; deliveries could begin as early as 2019.

It would also deal a blow to Shell, which aimed to be the dominant gas player in Iraq before relations with Baghdad soured following it’s planned exit from the Majnoon oil project.

Toyo told Reuters that talks are ongoing and a final decision has not yet been made.

(Source: Reuters)

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Iraq to send Gas to Kuwait for Gulf War Compensation

By John Lee.

Kuwait’s Oil Minister, Essam Al-Marzouq, has said his government has agreed to receive natural gas from Iraq in part payment of it Gulf War reparations.

According to a report from BasNews, Iraq will initially send 50 million cubic meters of natural gas (per day?), later increasing to 200 million cubic meters; KUNA puts the figures at 50 million cubic feet (per day?), later increasing to 200 million cubic feet.

The Minister said the two sides are currently discussing the price details.

In November 2015, Kuwait postponed the final instalment of reparations — worth $4.6 billion — until 2017, following a requested by Iraq, to help alleviate the cash crisis in Baghdad caused by lower oil prices and war with the Islamic State group (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh).

(Sources: BasNews, KUNA)