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Kuwait welcomes UNCC's decision to raise quarterly compensation
payments GENEVA
GENEVA, Dec 6 (KUNA) -- Kuwait thanks the UN Governing Council for adopting Decision 253 which lifted the ceiling on every quarterly payment as stated in UNCC Decision 197 and allowed successful claimants to receive larger payments towards their compensation awards. Addressing the 58th session of the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) Chairman of the Board of Public Authority for Assessment of Compensations for Damages resulting from the Iraqi Aggression (PAAC) Khaled Ahmad Al-Mudhaf said that Kuwait is pleased with this decision which will expedite the payments of individual and private sector claims and allows the initiation of environmental remediation projects as awarded by the UNCC. "We have come to a point where the UNCC is slowly phasing out its operations. The need for a comprehensive payment scheme is therefore essential. We hope that the Council will consider the proposal made by Kuwait at the September Session of the Governing Council for a comprehensive payment to all outstanding amounts including amounts for Environmental claims," added Al-Mudhaf. He added that the proposal was accepted as a reasonable payment procedure by the claimant countries that attended the Environmental Regional Meeting in Kuwait from 13 to 14 September, 2005.
"Kuwait also trusts that the phasing out Plan should not adversely affect the payments of awards as well as the proper and efficient implementation of the Follow-up Program for Environmental remediation claims," said Al-Mudhaf. He stressed that the most effective way to achieve the above would be to maintain a reduced structure of the UNCC in Geneva.
"Claimant countries with successful environmental claims, as well as the Government of Iraq, met in Geneva, from 22 to 23 November 2005, under the auspices of the UNCC," he added. Al Mudhaf explained that the claimant countries and Iraq were briefed by UNEP on the regional databank established for the Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Projects. "Claimant countries believe that the databank would be best used if each country receives its portion to integrate with its own databank system that will serve the environmental remediation claims," he said. Al-Mudhaf also explained that during the meeting, the Secretariat provided the attending countries with a draft of the guidelines for the F4 Awards Follow-Up Program. "Kuwait is pleased to note that the draft is comprehensive and provides the necessary tools for an efficient and transparent technical and financial planning, implementation and evaluation of the remediation projects," he said. Al-Mudhaf added that claimant countries and Iraq recognized, during the meeting, that the guidelines took into consideration their desire to promote regional cooperation in the scope of environmental remediation. "We hope that the Governing Council will adopt the guidelines in this session so as to allow all concerned countries to implement their plans for remediation and regional cooperation," said Al-Mudhaf. He stressed that in response to the desire by the claimant countries and Iraq to enhance regional cooperation, we have agreed to meet in Kuwait on 17 December 2005, with the UNCC present as observer, to address a number of issues concerning regional cooperation, such as the establishment of a Regional Environmental Rehabilitation Advisory Group and define the objectives, terms of reference, scope of work and establish the program for regional cooperation. "The meeting will also address the concept of establishing a regional environmental databank, including the needs, requirements, users, application and cost allocation for such databank," noted Al-Mudhaf. He expressed hope that the implementation by claimant countries, of the UNCC environmental remediation projects will be an incentive to create a regional momentum for a long term regional cooperation to deal with environmental damages of various causes including environmental damages suffered by Iraq "Kuwait will be pleased to report back to the Governing Council, activities on regional cooperation during the next Governing Council meeting and in the context of the follow-up guidelines," stressed Al-Mudhaf. PAAC Chairman Khaled Ahmad Al-Mudhaf told the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that Kuwait would like to see a continued UN involvement concerning the environment regional talks and process.
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