Iraq wants to cut Kuwait payments

Iraq is seeking to slash the compensation it pays to Kuwait in Gulf War damages by half, an aide to Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki told IWPR.

Iraq shells out five per cent of its oil revenue to a United Nations war reparations fund created after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait, a financial obligation that Iraqi officials claim is a heavy burden on the country as it attempts to rebuild. Kuwait is the fund’s primary beneficiary.