European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - May 22, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday May 22, 1991 the stars and stripes Page 3 a a a a a a a Quot quiet Kuwait City awaits its citizens by Chuck Roberts Middle East Bureau Kuwait Kuwait City is free free of noise traffic shoppers and other sights and sounds usually found in a big City. \ on a Corner in the heart of the downtown District no More than five people could be spotted on the Street at any Given time one afternoon. During a three minute period the Only traffic passing the lifeless stores were 14 vehicles which included an army humvee and a bicycle. According to a recent Progress report released by the army corps of engineers More than 90 percent of the City has electricity and Telephone service and the main Supply routes Are open people have even begun to return to outlying areas of the City. But most of the downtown stores stand empty their owners nowhere in sight. No one is sure when or if they will re turn. A a by september we will find a very very Normal and Complete life As before a said Wael Dodin manager of the pizza Palace on of the first downtown stores to reopen when it resumed business april 29. About 20 downtown shops have reopened since the pizza Palace resumed business he said. Dodin said he expects everyone to be Back in business by september because school begins then. Others Arentt As  impossible by september a said a merchant who secs Only about ,15 customers walk Cross his doorway each Day. He said life will not return to Normal until the kuwaitis return Home and help rebuild their country. That Means normalcy could take As Long As two years said the merchant who did not want his named used for fear of reprisal from kuwaiti authorities. A they have no intention to do their country s work a he said noting that Many kuwaitis Are so dependent upon foreign workers that their main priority is finding someone to Cook for them. The kuwaiti government said recovery hinges on two factors the return of kuwaiti business leaders and the cafin gushing of hundreds of Oil Well fires set by Saddam Hussein s forces. When the a business leaders return they will renew contracts with foreign companies that will entice foreign employees to return. The most important obstacle is Extin a Guise my the fires so. The country can begin to Export Oil again according to the kuwaiti ministry of information. The fire fighting operation is expected to take several More months of the 350 000 kuwaitis who fled from Kuwait after the invasion by Iraq about 200,000 have returned according to the ministry. About 12,500 kuwaitis Are arriving daily. They have until the end of the month to return before their refugee allowance is discontinued. About us ,000 kuwaitis who were stranded inside their country during the iraqi military occupation Are trying to leave for a temporary stay outside the War torn emirate. About 1, Kkt Are Able to leave each Day. A about i million foreign workers left after the occupation but few have re turned except Lor highly skilled people such As doctors electricians and Congi. Cers. V a a a. Amany kuwaitis May be afraid to re turn because of Whart they have seen on television said Suzi e a  who returned Home two weeks ago expecting to find a wasteland and pitch Black skies created by the fires. -�?o1 imagined i would never see the Sun again in Kuwait a said i la Zineda Eroglu a Turk who works at the Kuwait a International i Loicl where the Price of a soft drink Inis dropped from $ it to $3. A it s not that bad actually but if you re not Here you done to know if it s . Measure forces iraqis to pay for War United nations up the . Security Council adopted a Resolution monday beginning the process of forcing Iraq to pay for War damages As a result of its 210-Day occupation of Kuwait. It . Ambassador Thomas Pickering said an amount of. Money up to 50 percent of iraqis Oil exports revenues should be confiscated from the iraqi government to pay for War damages. Iraq immediately denounced the Council action As a illegal a but agreed to pay the claims which some . Law. Firms said amounted to More than $100 billion for american claimants alone. J the 15-nation Council voted 14-0, with Cuba abstaining to pass the Resolution demanding Secretary general Javier Perez de Cuellar to decide a was soon As possible the ceiling for iraqis payment to a . Fund that will disburse War damage claims. Now we Are going to wait for iraqis cooperation with the fund and the destruction of weapons of mass destruction a a Pickering told reporters following the vote. Iraqis . Ambassador Abdul Amir Al Anbari called the Resolution a illegal and a violation of the ,  but he said his government has agreed to pay for the War damages because a we have no choice.�?�. Al Anbari said the Security Council is dominated by the United states and. Accused it of neglecting iraqi Calls for compensating destruction wrought by the Allied forces during the War on iraqi territory. The vote set in motion the work of a . Compensation commission to study thousands of claims against Iraq whose army invaded Kuwait on aug. 2, 1990, and caused destruction to that country As Well As economic losses to foreign corporations and migrant workers. The commission is composed of a governing Council a and a compensation fund. The Security Council said in the Resolution that the governing Council should proceed in an a expeditious manner to determine How much Iraq should pay to the fund to meet All the claims. Perez de Cuellar is requested to fix the ceiling of that contribution. A the Resolution said that the requirement for iraqi contributions shall apply a with respect to All iraqi Petroleum and Petroleum products exported from Iraq after 3 april 1991, As Well As such Petroleum and Petroleum products exported earlier but not delivered or not paid for. Iraq has not exported any Oil because of the economic embargo imposed on it in retaliation for the aug. 2,1990, invasion of Kuwait. It has asked the Security councils sanctions panel to lift the Oil embargo and allow it to Export $1 billion Worth in Oil and use the proceeds to buy food and Medicine for four months. The Security Council also demanded the destruction of iraqis chemical and biological weapons soviet made scud missiles and its nuclear weapons capabilities As conditions for the cease fire that was declared april 2, ending. Hostilities Between the country and the 28-nation coalition Force. Four women in Black veils Are among the accused journalists sitting in a kuwaiti martial Law court 1 us Day. Kuwaiti martial Law court gives More time to defense lawyers Kuwait apr a martial Law court tuesday gave defense attorneys More time to study evidence against 24 newspaper workers accused of collaborating with the iraqis. The action came a Day after the Bush administration expressed concern about the fairness of Kuwait a judicial system. After several , the judges agreed to a defense motion to recess the trial until june 1. The defendants could face hanging if convicted in connection with their alleged work on an iraqi run newspaper during the occupation. Many of those who went on trial a most of them palestinians who carry various passports a testified they were forced to work on the paper out of tear need for Money or to avoid being sent to Baghdad. A i was afraid i would be raped if i did not work with them a said , a kuwaiti. Western nations Are watching the proceedings carefully in the Light of widespread reports of reprisals by kuwaiti Security forces a including torture arid killings a against alleged collaborators after the allies ousted iraqi forces from Kuwait in february. The court tried the first of an estimated 300 alleged collaborators sunday and meted out stiff sentences in Quick succession for six defendants without allowing witnesses to be called or presenting evidence publicly. The m6st severe sentence sunday was 15 years in prison go then to a Man whose Only publicly disclosed offence was wearing a Saddam Hussein to shirt. The Swift summary treatment raised concerns about whether the defendants were getting fair trials. Defense attorneys complained sunday that confessions were cd treated from some of the accused through torture. In Washington on monday president Bush called of Kuwait to a extend a fair trial to everybody�?�1 accused of cooperating with the iraqi forces. Before the War most of the defendants had worked at kuwaiti news organizations or the information ministry. They were accused of working during the iraqi occupation for Al Nida the Only newspaper allowed in Kuwait after the aug. 2, 1990, invasion. The defendants ranged from the editor in chief of Al Nida Ahmad faddy Al Hussaini to reporters  tors and janitors. Al Hussaini is being tried in absent a alter he fled the country. The defendants Are charged with giving information to a foreign country putting themselves in service of the iraqi regime helping to publish misleading articles and photographs helping the iraqis weaken the morale of the kuwaiti people and receiving salaries and other material benefits from the iraqis. Defense lawyers said conviction on any of the counts could be punished by death by hanging the defendants included six women their Heads covered by Black veils. One defense attorney Imad Al Saif said the court should reopen the investigation because of a questionable investigation that led to the charges