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Iraq to Stop Oil Exports if UN Adopts US-British Draft
Iraq will stop its oil export if the United Nations Security Council were to adopt any resolution based on a US-British draft aimed at renewing sanctions against Iraq, Iraqi diplomat said Tuesday.
In a statement read out to reporters at UN headquarters, Iraqi Ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri reiterated that his government reject any sanctions against Iraq.
"It seems that the Security Council is moving toward adopting a new resolution regarding the extension of oil-for-food program for one month, only," said the ambassador after consulting Baghdad.
He said that the new draft resolution is based on the "Anglo-American idea" to impose what is called "smart sanction" against Iraq, which has already been rejected.
"If the new resolution is adopted, Iraq will not deal with it," he emphasized.
"Consequently, Iraq will not conclude any oil contract based on it, and this resolution will be another dead resolution," he concluded.
But he did not directly respond to the question as to when and how long will Iraq stop oil export, he just said "that is Iraq's policy for the future."
Britain, backed by the United States, on May 21 offered a draft resolution which proposes a lift of UN controls of Iraq's civilian imports, but keeps restrictions on its concept of military-related materials. Indicating intentions to block the US-British proposal, Russia on the following day offered its own version of a draft resolution aimed at bringing a six-month extension to the existing oil-for-food humanitarian program.
The volume of Iraqi oil exports since the beginning of the oil-for-food program in December 1996 now stands at over 2.47 billion
barrels, for an estimated revenue of some 47.8 billion US dollars at current prices.
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