International

U.N. to discuss Iraqi sanctions

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

United Nations MAY 13. The United Nations Security Council is likely to discuss this afternoon the revised Iraqi sanctions to see if a formal vote on revamping the existing measures could be finally processed.

The United States and Britain are pushing for an early vote, but it could be delayed with Syria insisting on several amendments. Besides being a close ally of Iraq, Syria is posing a larger question: why should the Council be so specific and tough on Baghdad when Israel is being allowed to "get away'' with many of the Security Council Resolutions?

The Security Council decided on the new package of measures against Iraq last week but a vote was postponed. The objections from Syria aside, it was said that Russia, a veto member, wanted its leader to take a final look at the measures before signing off. The bone of contention of the members and Iraq has been over the "Goods Review List''.

The Security Council is expected to approve for six months the Oil-for-Food programme, a system that allows Iraq to sell oil and in return purchase goods for civilian and humanitarian needs.

The U.S., which at one time was pushing for "smart sanctions'', has now said that it is agreeable to an expanded and revamped system that will cover public services including education and water supply.

Currently, it is believed that as much as $ 5 billion worth of contracts has been held up by the U.S. and Britain — much or nearly all of it by Washington — on the grounds that some of the items that the Iraqis have asked for have the potential for military use.

Iraq, which has been under sanctions for the last 12 years, has consistently denounced the punitive measures. Apart from arguing that it has lived up to the terms of the weapons inspections programmes, the regime in Baghdad has been maintaining that the sanctions in place have particularly hit children in the country.

Under the new scheme of things, all humanitarian contracts ordered by Iraq will be sent to two United Nations agencies that oversee weapons programmes — the U.N. Monitoring and Verification Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The two agencies will have 10 days to raise objections.

If there are indeed objections by the two agencies, the same would be forwarded to the Security Council's Sanctions Monitoring Committee which could then ask the supplier to substitute the requested item or the Committee could flat out reject it.

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