05 January 1999
IRAQ WANTS UN TO REPLACE US, BRITISH STAFF
(Cites popular anger over recent bombings) (270) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- Iraq asked the United Nations January 4 to replace American and British employees saying that it could not guarantee their safety. In a one-page official note, Baghdad said the United Nations should make arrangements to replace 14 staff members currently working in the country. The Foreign Ministry cited "popular anger" over the US-British bombing raids December 16 to 19 and requested that "the personnel in question be replaced." Of the 14, one is American and 13 are British. Four work for outside contractors clearing mines and the remainder are on UN staff. Baghdad, however, said it was not asking for the withdrawal of the 50 Britons working for the Lloyds Register company under UN contract to oversee portions of the oil-for-food program because they were not in major cities. Three other Americans working in Baghdad for other UN operations were not included as well. UN weapons inspectors have not been working in the country since the bombing raids. The UN has about 420 humanitarian staff in Iraq, mostly in the three northern Kurdish provinces. They oversee the distribution of supplies purchased under the oil-for-food program in the Kurdish provinces and generally monitor the distribution of supplies by the Iraqi Government in other areas. Under the oil-for-food program, Iraq is allowed to sell $5,250 million worth of oil every six months to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies for Iraqi civilians.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
