06 January 1998
U.N. HAS APPROVED PLAN FOR FOOD DISTRIBUTION FOR IRAQIS
(Richardson: Iraq should spend more on its people) (620) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan has approved Iraq's plan for the distribution of more than $1,000 million in humanitarian supplies purchased under the oil-for-food program set up by the U.N. Security Council. Annan's approval of Iraq's plan late in the evening January 5 removed an obstacle to oil sales. Baghdad had refused to begin selling oil under the program, which was renewed for the third time in December 1997, until the Secretary General approved the distribution plan. The plan and its approval by the Secretary General is required under the terms of the Security Council's resolution in order to insure an equitable distribution of humanitarian goods to Iraqi civilians throughout the country, except for the two northern Kurdish provinces. The United Nations oversees a separate distribution program for about $260 million worth of supplies in the north which is also paid for by the oil sales. After years of rejecting the Council's plan for the oil sales, Iraq finally agreed to the formula and began exporting oil in December 1996. The sales are a special easement of the seven-year-old economic embargo imposed after the invasion of Kuwait. U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson rejected Iraqi charges that the U.S. is holding up many of the contracts Baghdad submits to the Security Council's sanctions committee as required under the terms of the program. "We have been very active in recognizing the importance of the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people. There have been 1,600 contracts submitted; 95 percent have been approved -- all in food and medicine, " Richardson told journalists after attending a private Council meeting. "The Iraqi accusation about the powdered milk was a total fabrication, the ambassador added. Iraq's request "was submitted December 22 to the committee for approval. It was approved December 24 -- two days later. There were no delays," Richardson said. "I think Iraq -- instead of diverting resources to build palaces and acquire weapons and develop weapons of mass destruction -- could be spending more money on its own people," the ambassador said. When the Council renewed the oil-for-food program last December, Richardson said Iraq should "stop playing politics" with the oil-forfood contracts. He said that Iraq should 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 food rations that it cut. The Security Council December 4 voted unanimously to renew the "oil-for-food" program allowing Iraq to sell $2,140 million worth of crude oil over the following six months to pay for the humanitarian supplies and some of Iraq's other gulf war related debts. However, it also expressed a willingness to increase the amount sold if the needs of the Iraqi people are not being met under the current scheme. In a report late last year the Secretary General said that he doesn't feel the current resources are sufficient to meet the basic health needs of Iraqi civilians as the program intended. Notwithstanding the implementation of the oil-for-food resolutions, "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." 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.
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