04 December 1997
SECURITY COUNCIL UNANIMOUSLY RENEWS OIL-FOR-FOOD SCHEME FOR IRAQ
(Richardson: Iraq must stop "playing politics" with U.N. program) (1260) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- The Security Council December 4 voted unanimously to renew the so-called "oil-for-food" program allowing Iraq to sell $2,000 million worth of crude oil during the next six months and expressed a willingness to increase the amount if the needs of the Iraqi people are not being met under the current scheme. U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson said that the United States will continue to support the oil-for-food program and is willing "not only to find ways of improving the implementation of the humanitarian program but also to consider additional resources which may be needed to meet the priority humanitarian needs of the people of Iraq." But Richardson also called upon the Iraqi leadership "to demonstrate as much compassion for the Iraqi people as the council has by adopting resolutions 986, 1111, 1129 and will demonstrate once again by adopting this resolution today." The U.S. ambassador said Iraq should "stop playing politics" with the oil-for-food contracts and stop submitting contracts that fail to meet the sanctions committee criteria, end its threats to stop cooperating with the U.N. on the program, and restore the food rations that it cut. "And Iraq should never again unilaterally and inexplicably interrupt the sales of oil that the council has authorized to help feed the Iraqi people" as it did in June and July, Richardson said. In the resolution, the council stated that it is convinced of the need for the program as a temporary measure to provide for the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people until the Iraqi Government fulfills the cease-fire demands to eliminate its weapons of mass destruction and sanctions are lifted. The council said it is "convinced also of the need for equitable distribution of humanitarian relief to all segments of the Iraqi population." The resolution was drafted by the United Kingdom. British Ambassador Stephen Gomersall said that "this is a vote by the international community to continue to support the people of Iraq against the policies of a disinterested regime." The first concern of the council, Gomersall said, "obviously is to meet humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, but that is also the responsibility of the Government of Iraq. It is not only for the international community to do that." In speeches during the meeting, council members agreed that while they were willing to consider an increase in the amount of oil Iraq can sell in order to help needy Iraqis, Baghdad must assume more responsibility for the well-being of its citizens. A second need, diplomats said, will be to ensure that the arrangements that have been set up in the Sanctions Committee -- to ensure that goods bought meet the needs of civilians and not Saddam Hussein's regime -- work efficiently and effectively. Secretary General Kofi Annan denied reports December 4 that he was going to recommend to the council that Iraq be allowed to sell an additional $1,000 to 2,000 million worth of oil when the oil-for-food program was renewed. The secretary general said that while he doesn't feel the current resources are sufficient to meet the basic health needs of Iraqi civilians as intended by the program, "it didn't help to take a piecemeal approach and throw money at the problem. We need to analyze it and move forward aggressively and comprehensively." "I know there have been rumors floating that I had agreed to recommend $4 billion or $3 billion. I don't know where it started. I have never had any such intention because I realize the complexity of the problem and the fact that we need to take a look at it comprehensively," Annan told journalists. He added that the council doesn't have to wait 90 days for the program's renewal to increase the amount of oil Iraq is allowed to sell. The "oil-for food" plan allows Iraq to sell $1,000 million of crude oil over a period of 90 days for a total of $2,000 million in a 180-day period under strict U.N. supervision in order to buy needed food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies for Iraqi civilians affected by the seven-year-old economic embargo. The secretary general is to present a supplementary report to the council at the end of January that will include recommendations on the adequacy of the funds and any other improvements to the scheme. Annan told journalists after a private meeting with the council that he indicated to the members that "it is essential that we look at all aspects of the scheme and try to streamline it, improve it and let it run more efficiently and effectively." "This will require looking at how the (council's sanctions) committee works," Annan said. "It will require looking at procurement, shipment, distribution, approval, buying arrangements and all that." The secretary general said that the U.N. will be looking into how some improvements can be made to certain facilities in Iraq such as water supplies, sanitation, and refrigeration that affect the humanitarian situation. "There are certain related issues and conditions which undermine the efforts and we will need to look at this in its entirety before we proceed any further," he said. Annan told the council that the humanitarian program for Iraq is a unique undertaking for the world organization. Never in its history has the U.N. had to address the essential needs of a population whose country is under a rigorous international sanctions regime. To date, 90 percent of the applications submitted to the Security Council's Sanctions Committee (661 Committee) under phase 1 have been approved. As of December 1, applications for the year -- for the first 180 days known as phase 1 and the second 180 days, known as phase 2 -- have reached $11,970 million, U.N. officials have reported. Letters of credit have been issued for $1,710 million worth of goods. Over 2.6 million tons of food have arrived in Iraq with over 2.2 million tons distributed, they said. Under the oil-for-food program, supplies for the northern Kurdish provinces are provided by the United Nations. The $260 million for those supplies generated by the oil sales has enabled the U.N. to carry out more substantial humanitarian activities than would have been the case if the program had continued to be dependent on voluntary contributions, the secretary general said. U.N. observers have made "nearly 240,000 observations," Annan reported. "These observers monitor the program in all its relevant aspects, including equitability, efficiency and adequacy," Annan said. "The observation missions have covered every type of storage facility and distribution systems used to deliver...supplies to beneficiaries." "In carrying out their mandate, observers have visited all governates throughout the country, often reaching areas and settlements which may have been the object of international concern but never previously received international scrutiny," he said. But Annan also reported that only 15 percent of the supplies budgeted for the second six-month period have arrived and the problem needs to be addressed urgently. "Notwithstanding the implementation of resolutions 986 and 1111, the Iraqi population continues to face a serious nutritional and health situation. There is a pressing requirement to contain the risk of further deterioration," the secretary general said. "It is necessary to review the nutritional value of the current food basket."
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