UN ends Iraq’s requirement to pay victims of Kuwait invasion

By EDITH M. LEDERER
Associated Press

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council  has voted unanimously to end Iraq’s requirement to compensate victims of its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, with Baghdad having paid out $52.4 billion to 1.5 million claimants. Michael Gaffey is Ireland’s UN ambassador in Geneva and  president of the governing board of the U.N. Compensation Commission, whose fund decided on the claims. He told the council after Tuesday’s vote that the fund’s work was historic “for the United Nations and for effective multilateralism.” Iraq was required to set aside a percentage of proceeds from its oil exports to compensate victims.