Property claimants: go to Iraqi embassy or post form to Geneva office

You are thinking of filing a claim for property lost under the Ba'ath regime (from 17 July 1968 onwards), but are unsure how to go about it: you are living outside Iraq and the deadline of 30 June appears impossibly tight. Despair not - some new information produced by the IPCC (Iraq Property Claims Commission) seems to address foreign claimants' concerns. Most of it is available on a new website which is still being updated. (With thanks:Iraqijews)

"If you live outside Iraq and want to file a claim with the IPCC for property in Iraq or to file a response to a claim filed by someone else, please follow the following instructions:

1. All claims and responses must be filed on the official IPCC Claim Form and Response Form.

2. For additional assistance in completing the forms, claimants and respondents living outside Iraq may contact the IPCC at Tel. +96/ 41 816 11 39.

3. All Claim Forms must be filed on or before 30 June 2005. A Claim Form that is mailed by a claimant living outside Iraq and postmarked on or before 30 June 2005 will be considered to have been filed on time.

IF YOU ARE MAILING IN A CLAIM, PLEASE DO NOT SUBMIT ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS.

4. Claim and Response Forms filed by someone living outside Iraq may be filed in Arabic, Kurdish or English only.

5. Response Forms must be filed within 45 days after notice of the claim is served or posted by the IPCC. See Article 35 of the IPCC Instructions for Operation.

6. Claim and Response Forms filed by someone living outside Iraq may be filed one of the following ways:

* You may file the Claim or Response Form in person at any of the IPCC offices listed in this website in the “Contact Us” section.
* You may hire or arrange for someone to file a Claim or Response Form in person for you. If so, that person must present evidence that he/she has the right to represent you.
* You may contact any Iraqi Embassy or Consulate abroad.
* You may mail the Claim or Response Form to the following address:

IPCC
PO BOX 472
CH 1211 GENEVE 19
SWITZERLAND

7. If you do not have some of the information or documents requested in the Claim or Response Form, the IPCC will temporarily accept the form without them. In that case the IPCC will contact you later for further information and documentation. However, it is in your interest to provide as much of the information and as many of the documents as possible when you file your form.

8. Persons who believe they have a valid claim and who do not file with the IPCC by 30 June 2005 may still be able to pursue their claims in the Iraqi courts, but this process may be expensive and lengthy.