GENEVA (AP) -- The U.N. panel that reimburses victims of Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait has paid a new installment of more than half a billion dollars, a spokeswoman said Friday.
The latest disbursement brings the amount the U.N. Compensation Commission has given out to those who suffered during the invasion to $4.3 billion, U.N. spokeswoman Elena Ponomareva said. The funds come from sales of Iraqi oil.The new amount -- $582 million -- has been handed over to 41 governments as well as international organizations for distribution to the victims.
More than $420 million is going to 90,712 individuals who filed claims of up to $100,000 each in damages, Ponomareva said. About a quarter of the new allocation is being paid in sums of up to $2,500 to 62,000 people who were forced to leave Iraq and Kuwait because of the invasion.
Some $7 million is going to corporations.
Under the oil-for-food program, Iraq is allowed to export $5.2 billion of oil every six months to buy food and medicine for its people. The commission receives 30 percent of the revenue.
The United States is trying to extend the current program for another six months, while Russia is trying remove the upper limit on sales.