Kuwait accepts Iraq request for reparation deferral

Kuwait: Kuwait has accepted an Iraqi request related to reparation imposed by the UN Security Council over the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, state news agency KUNA said on Thursday, ahead of discussions in Geneva on the request.

A UN official said Wednesday that Iraq, its economy battered by declining oil prices and the ongoing war with Daesh militants, has requested a one-year deferral of a $4.6 billion (Dh16.90 billion) reparations payment for destroying Kuwait’s oil facilities during its 1990-91 occupation.

When asked about reports on the Iraq request regarding the last tranche of reparations, Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Khalid Al Jarallah said: “The brothers in Iraq have presented the request formally and unilaterally and Kuwait has accepted and responded to this request.”