HL Deb 31 March 1999 vol 599 c61WA
Lord Hylton

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether Iraq is contributing financially to the cost of removing the estimated five million mines laid by its forces in Kuwait during their occupation. [HL1749]

Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean

Coalition forces carried out initial battle area clearance of mines in Kuwait in the immediate aftermath of the Gulf War. The responsibility then passed to the Kuwaiti Ministry of Defence which sub-contracted the work out to private firms.

Kuwait may have submitted a claim for compensation for this work to the UN Compensation Commission (UNCC), which compensates individuals, companies and governments who suffered losses as a result of the invasion and occupation of Kuwait. If so, Iraq would be contributing financially to these costs as 30 per cent. of the revenue raised by the UN "oil for food" programme is allocated to the UNCC. Her Majesty's Government is not privy to the detail of Kuwaiti claims to the UNCC.