WASHINGTON, July 29 (UPI) -- The Bush administration is fighting a court order to pay former Gulf War prisoners damages awarded them this month.
The group of 17 soldiers who had been tortured by Iraqi captors in the 1991 war were awarded almost $1 billion in damages this month, payable by Iraq, the New York Times reported Tuesday.
Iraq never responded to the lawsuit, so a federal court ordered that the soldiers be paid from frozen Iraqi accounts.
The Bush administration has expressed sympathy for the plaintiffs over what they endured but is fighting them about the money, saying it is urgently needed to rebuild Iraq.
Richard Roberts, a federal district judge in Washington will hear government arguments Tuesday asking him to rescind his order setting aside the $653 million in compensatory damages, and to cancel the award itself, which includes additional millions for punitive damages. The government cites "foreign policy interests in ensuring a safe and successful transition in Iraq."
