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The following AP story contains a remarkably clear indictment U.S./British obstruction to humanitarian aid for Iraq (pulled from the Minneapolis StarTribune site, http://www.startribune.com/stOnLine/cgi-bin/article?thisSlug=0722AP-UN-IRAQ&; date=22-Jul-99&word=iraq ). Regards, Drew Hamre Minneapolis, MN USA Official: U.N. Delays Aid to Iraq By EDITH M. LEDERER / Associated Press Writer / July 22, 1999 UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United Nations is moving too slowly in approving humanitarian supplies for Iraq, a top world body official said Thursday. Undersecretary-General Benon Sevan said delays in endorsing shipments of food and medical supplies and spare parts for the oil industry are undermining efforts to improve living conditions for Iraqis living under economic sanctions. Iraq is on target to reach the U.N. Security Council' s oil export target of $5.26 billion during the current six-month period, he told the council. Should Iraq reach the target, the Security Council will have to decide whether to waive the ceiling, and how the additional revenue should be spent. Iraq has been barred from exporting oil since the Security Council imposed an embargo following Iraq' s 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The council launched the so-called oil-for-food program in 1996 to try to care for Iraqis suffering under the sanctions. Secretary-General Kofi Annan says food, nutrition, and the health sector must remain a priority for revenue from oil sales. Sevan called on the Security Council to expedite the review of contracts for food, medicine, spare oil parts and equipment to upgrade water treatment facilities and the electricity supply. His remarks were targeted at Britain and the United States, which have delayed scores of contracts for oil sector spare parts and other equipment amid concerns over their possible diversion to the Iraqi military. Deputy U.S. Ambassador Peter Burleigh noted that last year experts estimated that it would take $1.2 billion in spare parts and equipment for Iraq to maintain exports of 3 million barrels of oil a day -- and the council has already authorized $900 million. He questioned whether the production ceiling needed to be lifted. " My question would be, if more than $5.2 billion is now needed, what for?, " Burleigh asked. " Is that humanitarian needs? Or are we getting into suggestions about rebuilding the Iraqi economy, which is a very different question for the Security Council? We don' t have a clear answer to that yet." -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To be removed/added, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk, NOT the whole list. Please do not sent emails with attached files to the list *** Archived at http://linux.clare.cam.ac.uk/~saw27/casi/discuss.html ***