Security Council holds open debate on oil-for-food programme for Iraq

Members of the Security Council today expressed divergent views on how to proceed with proposed changes to the sanctions regime against Iraq, during an open meeting held one week before the current phase of the United Nations humanitarian programme for the country is set to expire.

More than 30 participants signed up to take part in the debate, which was held at the request of the Russian Federation. This was the Council's first formal meeting on Iraq since 1 June when it extended the current phase of the "oil-for-food" programme until 3 July, and expressed its intention to agree on changes to the current sanctions regime, which has been in place against Baghdad since Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

In his address to the Council, Ambassador Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation said he had carefully considered all proposals on the issue, including the draft resolution submitted by the United Kingdom. "I must say quite frankly that the deeper we get into the details of the proposed change in the sanctions regime, the more our doubts go as to the feasibility of the concept enshrined in that draft, and, indeed, its political viability," he said. He added that the system proposed in the draft "leads us away" from the full implementation of Security Council resolutions on Iraq, while preserving sanctions which had unacceptable consequences on the country's people and achieving no progress on disarmament, he said.

"The key elements in the UK draft look as though they would lead us not to loosening this very harsh economic situation in Iraq but rather to tightening sanctions," Mr. Lavrov said. Further, the new scheme was to be introduced without Baghdad's consent, "and this is utterly unrealistic, and moreover it is contrary to decisions of the Council about the need to respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Iraq." Stating that Russia could not agree to the draft, he said his Government had submitted a proposal that contained "clear criteria for suspending and then lifting sanctions, tied with the deployment in Iraq of the ongoing monitoring and verification system on the basis of the implementation of existing resolutions of the Security Council."

For his part, Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom said the new proposals contained in the British draft would make an important and significant difference to the flow of goods to Iraq. He noted that by its resolution 1284, the Council had set out various steps to relieve humanitarian suffering in Iraq and had provided a route for the suspension and lifting of sanctions if Baghdad chose to cooperate. "There is no good reason to back away from or to alter that framework," he stressed. Resolution 1284 "has not been implemented because Iraq has refused to implement it," he said, adding "That cannot be the basis for any kind of re-negotiation of its terms."

The UK's draft resolution aimed to set in place measures to liberalize the flow of goods to Iraq and, at the same time, to examine ways to make sure that military-related items are not exported to Iraq, Ambassador Greenstock said. Noting that the extension of the current phase of the oil-for-food programme was almost up, he pledged to work "as hard as it takes" to meet the 3 July deadline. "Let me say in all frankness that none of us, on this issue in particular, can allow national economic self-interest to hold up positive measures for the Iraqi people," he said. "The risk is that if we do not act now the Security Council may never be in a position to act."

Meanwhile, the Office of the Iraq Programme, which oversees the implementation of the oil-for-food scheme, today reported today that for the third consecutive week in a row, there were no Iraqi petroleum exports. As of 22 June, approximately $2 billion and €1.7 billion (euros) in uncommitted funds were available in the UN escrow account for the issuance of additional letters of credit for the purchase of humanitarian supplies and oil spare parts and equipment by Iraq. In addition, supplies valued at $11.1 billion were in the production and delivery pipeline.