DATE=11/19/1999
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=U-N-IRAQ OIL (L ONLY)
NUMBER=2-256371
BYLINE=BRECK ARDERY
DATELINE=UNITED NATIONS
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: The United Nations Security Council today
(Friday) extended - for just two weeks - Iraq's right
to sell oil to raise money for humanitarian purposes.
At the United Nations, V-O-A Correspondent Breck
Ardery reports the decision was a compromise after
Russia and the United States were unable to agree on
changes in the "oil-for-food" program.
TEXT: The Council unanimously extended the program
until December fourth under the same conditions it has
been operating since December of 1996. The program
allows Iraq to sell more than five billion dollars
worth of oil every six months to raise money for food,
medicine and other humanitarian purposes.
But this extension, which was originally supposed to
be for another six months, ran into trouble when
Russia and the United States were unable to agree on
several issues. They include Russia's position that
the amount of oil Iraq can sell should be raised and
that Iraq should be allowed to double spending to
repair its oil facilities.
Speaking with the aid of an English interpreter,
Russian U-N ambassador Sergey Lavrov told the Security
Council he hopes his nation's views will be
incorporated into the next resolution on Iraq.
/// Interpreter Act ///
Unfortunately, our arguments were not taken into
account by a number of delegations, referring to
the fact that all items pertaining to the
humanitarian blockade should be considered
within the framework of a comprehensive
resolution on Iraq. Taking the position of a
number of members of the Council into account,
we do not object to a short technical resolution
on extending this phase for two weeks with the
understanding that the next stage will be
determined later on.
/// End Act ///
The question now is, will the Security Council be able
to agree on a comprehensive resolution before the two-
week extension of the oil-for-food program expires? A
proposed comprehensive resolution would lift the
economic sanctions against Iraq in exchange for the
return of international weapons inspectors to that
country. But again, there are differences between
Russia and the United States on how that resolution
should be worded. The five permanent members of the
Security Council have been holding private meetings to
discuss it. Peter Burleigh, the deputy chief of the
U-S mission to the United Nations, says it is critical
that the Security Council agree on a comprehensive
resolution on Iraq.(Signed)
NEB/UN/BA/LSF/JP
19-Nov-1999 14:43 PM EDT (19-Nov-1999 1943 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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