UN Council Mulls New Iraqi Sanction Plan

Britain, backed by the United States, Monday offered China, France and Russia a draft resolution which proposes a lift of U.N. controls of Iraq's civilian imports, but keeps restrictions on its concept of military-related materials.

China and Russia indicated that they could need a period of time to study the draft although Britain and the United States want the draft adopted by the U.N. Security Council by the end of the month.

The British aim is to get a vote by May 31, before the next phase of the U.N.-Iraq humanitarian oil-for-food program begins on June 4. That program was designed to ease the impact of decades- old U.N. sanctions on Iraqi civilians.

Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States are five permanent members of the 15-nation Security Council. Each of them has a veto power on the council.

The five powers did not have a substantial study on the draft, but they reported it back to their capitals, and they are now waiting for the instructions, diplomats said here.

Mohammed Aldouri, the Iraqi permanent representative to the United Nations, told reporters here Monday that he opposed the new British-American proposals, saying the two powers still prevent Iraq from using its oil revenues to rejuvenate its economy.

"They don't want Iraq to have any financial benefit and have use of its oil revenues," Aldouri said.

On the British allegation to ease sanctions on civilian imports, the Iraqi ambassador said, "All this propaganda, all this maneuvering. We are not against (streamlining) goods but then release all contracts on hold."

The British draft includes a control list of the Iraqi civilian imports, but Russian diplomats interpreted it as a precondition for the renewal of the "oil for food" program.

The program, launched since late 1996, allows Iraq to sell oil in return for U.N.-monitored imports of food, medicine and other basic necessities to offset the impacts of the sanctions imposed on Iraq following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. Iraq has often accused the U.S. and British representatives at the U.N. Sanctions Committee of shelving Iraq's humanitarian contracts and worsening the humanitarian crisis in the country.

Observers here said that the international community has been long concerned over the current Iraqi humanitarian crisis, and what is important at present is to ensure the successful renewal of the program, rather than having any condition attached to it.

They said that it is the time to seek a comprehensive settlement to the outstanding Iraq issue, or it will not be conducive to upholding the authority of the Security Council, which, under the U.N. Charter, has the primary responsibility for the maintenance of the international peace and security.






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