Secretary-General and Iraqi leader discuss issue of reparations to Kuwait

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held talks today with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki that focused on the issue of his country’s reparations to Kuwait in the wake of Iraq’s 1990 invasion and subsequent occupation of its neighbour.

Mr. Ban and Mr. al-Maliki – who met this morning at United Nations Headquarters in New York – agreed to continue working together to resolve the issue, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told journalists in response to a question.

The Secretary-General has also held discussions with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari recently on the same subject.

Following the conflict in 1990-91, the reparations were imposed on Iraq by the Security Council under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Under a more recent resolution, Council members agreed to review those measures and others, and Mr. Ban’s report on the review process is expected to be issued shortly.