Melbourne-based international law professor Michael Pryles said an urgent need now exists for a fund to rehabilitate people in Iraq who had suffered injury and other losses.

"A humanitarian program for Iraqis who have suffered as a result of the war should be a high priority in the process of rebuilding the country," he said in a statement.

"The international community, in particular the United States and Britain, are planning a major reconstruction program to restore infrastructure such as roads, communication systems and other services.

"But at the same time, we should not overlook the needs of Iraqi families who have suffered devastating injuries and losses, such as the death or disability of a breadwinner."

Pryles, a commissioner on the United Nations Compensation Commission since 1996, said such a fund would be not only a humanitarian gesture but would send a signal to the people of Iraq that the world cares.

The United States, Britain and Australia should take the lead in setting up such a fund, given their involvement in the Iraq war, he added.

Set up by the UN Security Council in 1991 to pay compensation for losses suffered as a result of Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait, the commission has so far handed out about 20 billion US dollars to victims and families of victims.

Pryles said there is a need for a similar fund to deal with claims arising from the current war although its establishment may require a special UN Security Council resolution.

He said it could be set up by the UN, or one set up by the United States, Britain and Iraq, but if the will existed it could be done very quickly.

He proposed that compensation for personal losses be partly funded through revenue from Iraqi oil sales with additional funding provided by countries such as the US, Britain, France, Germany and Australia.

"Such a fund, which could be set up by the United Nations or perhaps another international body, would go a long way towards rehabilitating the people of Iraq and showing that the world cares about them."

Losses suffered by commercial organisations in Iraq could be considered separately at a later date, he said.

SPACE.WIRE