Campaigners want Iraq's international debts cancelled

Campaigners seeking cancellation of huge international debts racked up by Iraq under Saddam Hussain are preparing to launch hunger strikes.

Justin Alexander, coordinator of Jubilee Iraq, told Gulf News the group was planning a two-week demonstration at a forthcoming United Nations summit in Geneva.

He said: "It's ridiculous that the Iraqi people are still expected to pay back billions of dollars. They suffered enough under Saddam without having to pay the bills for his wars.

"At a time when the international community should be helping Iraqis rebuild, in reality it is taking their money and holding them back."

Alexander, a British campaigner currently based in Jordan, said hunger strikes outside next month's special UN meeting, would help draw attention to the problem.

"We hope our protest will encourage the UN to do what it should have done a long time ago drop the debt," he said.

According to the World Development Movement (WDM), Iraq faces reparations claims of more than $200 billion (Dh736 billion) for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Total debts amount to $17,000 (Dh62,560) per head of population. Much of the money was borrowed by Saddam Hussain to fund the Iran-Iraq war and to allow subsequent military expansion.

Campaigners say the debts are "obviously unpayable" and warn it would take until 2070 to clear the backlog.

Ali Allawi, newly appointed finance minister, said this week foreign debt was "the most important issue" facing the nation.

He said Iraq would seek to renegotiate payments but insisted this would be done through the proper international channels.