Iraqi govt resumes payments of Gulf War reparations to Kuwait – UN

Iraq resumed paying Kuwait compensation on Friday for the destruction of Kuwaiti oil fields and facilities during the 1990-91 Gulf War, the United Nations said in Geneva in a statement. The payment had been suspended since October 2014 because of security and budgetary problems faced by the Iraqi government in its fight against Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS). “The United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) today made available $90 million to the government of the state of Kuwait,” the UN said, as cited by Reuters. “With today’s payment, the commission has paid out $47.9 billion, leaving approximately $4.5 billion remaining to be paid to the only outstanding claim.”