20 February 1998
TEXT: BURLEIGH REMARKS TO SECURITY COUNCIL ON OIL-FOR-FOOD PLAN
(US "proud to cast its vote" expanding program for Iraq) (1150) United Nations -- Deputy U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Peter Burleigh says the United States "is proud to cast its vote" in favor of the UN Security Council resolution expanding the humanitarian oil-for-food program for Iraq. The resolution would allow Iraq to increase the dollar amount of oil it can sell on the world market in order to finance the importation of humanitarian goods such as food and medicine. In remarks to the Council February 20, Burleigh said: "The United States is deeply concerned about the welfare of the Iraqi people, and we want to do everything we can to make sure their basic needs are met." Burleigh said Baghdad's "failure to commit its own resources to support his humanitarian recommendations, is a telling reminder of the Iraqi government's true attitude toward the plight of its people. "That is why the United States stands ready to work closely with other members of this Council to ensure that this resolution works as intended -- works not for the benefit of the Iraqi regime, but for the welfare of ordinary people in Iraq," he said. Following are the US/UN remarks, as prepared for delivery and as read to the UNSC: (begin text) STATEMENT BY AMBASSADOR A. PETER BURLEIGH, UNITED STATES DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UNITED NATIONS, IN THE SECURITY COUNCIL, IN EXPLANATION OF VOTE, ON IRAQ -- OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM ENHANCEMENT, FEBRUARY 20, 1998 Mr. President, the United States is proud to cast its vote today in favor of this resolution to expand the 986 humanitarian program in Iraq. It is, quite simply, the largest UN-sanctioned humanitarian program in the history of this organization. As such, it is a concrete demonstration that the United Nations, and in particular the members of this Council, remain committed to meeting the essential humanitarian needs of all Iraq's people. Let me make our position very clear. The United States is deeply concerned about the welfare of the Iraqi people, and we want to do everything we can to make sure their basic needs are met. For that reason, we welcomed the Secretary General's recommendations. We strongly supported expansion of the 986 program to make it more effective and more efficient. We favored an increase in the dollar amount of oil sales permitted under the program in order to finance the importation of additional humanitarian goods. We believe that expanding the scope of the program is desirable and in fact essential to its humanitarian goals. Our position and that of all the other members of the Council stands in stark contrast to the policies of Iraq's leadership. While Iraqi children have gone hungry, Saddam Hussein has diverted scarce resources to build more palaces and weapons of mass destruction. While Iraq has ceaselessly complained about delays in the Sanctions Committee, it has submitted many 986 contracts that fail to meet the criteria and procedures that Iraq agreed to with the U.N. Secretariat, and has routinely stooped to political favoritism in the 986 contracting process. And after the Council extended the 986 program twice in 1997, the Iraqi government twice delayed new oil sales under the resolution, needlessly slowing the delivery of humanitarian goods, and forcing the Council to adopt resolution 1129 to avoid further deterioration of the humanitarian situation. Indeed, Iraq refused even to provide input to the Secretary General's report, a report intended to provide to the Council recommendations on ways to improve the delivery and increase the supply of humanitarian goods to Iraq. On February 5, Iraq sent its official "observations" on the Secretary General's report, in which it rejected many of his proposals and recommendations. Most notably, it rejected his call for an ongoing distribution plan and his practical expectation that Iraq would contribute local resources to infrastructure projects. The use of one's own resources to help one's own people is a basic moral obligation that should form the cornerstone of a responsible government's reaction to real humanitarian needs. Iraq's failure to provide information for the Secretary General's report, and its failure to commit its own resources to support his humanitarian recommendations, is a telling reminder of the Iraqi government's true attitude toward the plight of its people. That is why the United States stands ready to work closely with other members of this Council to ensure that this resolution works as intended -- works not for the benefit of the Iraqi regime, but for the welfare of ordinary people in Iraq. We must give the Secretary General our strong support and clear guidance as he implements this massive program, including a significant expansion of the United Nations observation and monitoring function in Iraq. We must make certain that food and medicine, and infrastructure improvements directly related to their distribution, remain the top priorities under this new resolution. Nothing is more important to the basic welfare of Iraqi citizens. We must make certain that the goods imported into Iraq under this resolution are carefully observed and monitored, so they cannot be diverted to military purposes or used for the personal benefit of the Iraqi leadership. We must make certain that the other commitments Iraq agreed to when it accepted resolution 986 -- paying a certain percentage of oil revenues to fund UNSCOM, the U.N. Compensation Commission, and other important functions -- are honored. We must make certain that the Sanctions Committee acts quickly yet responsibly to approve contracts in a manner consistent with the intent of this and other relevant resolutions. And we must wait until we have more and better information before authorizing any oil infrastructure improvements under this resolution, and do so only after careful consideration on the basis of the Secretary General's forthcoming report and of the humanitarian objectives of this resolution. Let me remind everyone that resolution 986 was intended by the Council as a temporary measure to provide essential humanitarian assistance to the Iraqi people, not as a vehicle to refurbish Iraq's economy. That will be possible only when the sanctions authorized by the Security Council are lifted. And that, in turn, will happen when Iraq complies fully and unconditionally with all relevant resolutions of this Council. It is sad that the Iraqi leaders have postponed that day for so long by consistently and flagrantly flouting their obligations under the resolutions, obligations that they themselves agreed to under the terms of the gulf war ceasefire. Unfortunately, as long as the government of Iraq persists in its mistaken belief that it can defy the will of the international community and that of the Council, the sanctions must remain in place. And the United Nations will continue to carry the burden that the Iraqi government has refused to bear -- caring for the welfare of the people of Iraq. Thank you, Mr. President. (end text)
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