> > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > Agence France Presse Friday January 15,=20 > > US proposes free Iraq oil exports, but differs with France on controls > > UNITED NATIONS, Jan 14 (AFP) - The United States on Thursday matched a > call by France to allow Iraq to freely export oil, but the two > capitals remained poles apart on the control of Iraqi oil revenues. > > The United States made it clear in the proposals outlined during > closed-door Security Council discussions that Washington intended to > keep tight control of Iraqi oil revenues by expanding an existing > UN-administered oil-for-food scheme. > > =46rance, meanwhile, is calling for the lifting of the eight-year oil > embargo so that Iraq can spend its oil revenues freely, while > respecting military restrictions, in the hope of encouraging Iraq to > agree to the return of UN arms inspectors. > > The 15-member Security Council has authorized Iraq since December 1996 > to export limited quantities of oil in return for food and medicine > for its sanctions-hit people. > > The scheme, which is renewed on a monthly basis, currently provides > for Iraq to export 5.2 billion dollars worth of oil. But at current > depressed prices, Iraq is struggling to produce three billion dollars > worth. > > US Ambassador Peter Burleigh told reporters that he had proposed to > council members removing the cap on the Iraqi oil exports, in a move > which was seen here as purely symbolic. > > He also said that Washington would agree to proposals which it had > resisted last year, including streamlining the approval of contracts > and the automatic approval of food and medical contracts without UN > sanctions committee involvement. > > He said that Washington was also reviewing Iraqi spare parts contracts > for the oil industry which had been placed on hold by its delegation > in the sanctions committee, and suggested that voluntary contributions > could be placed into the escrow account which controls the Iraqi oil > revenues. > > Asked to react to Burleigh's proposal to remove the oil export cap, > =46rench Ambassador Alain Dejammet replied: "if you decide to eliminate > the ceiling over the oil exports, it is something which is very close > to saying you are lifting the oil embargo, it could practically be the > same." > > Dejammet had pointed out on Wednesday, when France circulated its > proposals to the full council, that the oil embargo had been > effectively lifted without anybody noticing in February last year. > > That was when the council raised the export ceiling from two billion > dollars to 5.2 billion in the knowledge that Iraq did not have the > capacity to reach the target. > > Iraq is pumping oil at full capacity, and until now, Washington has > withheld permission for 152 spare contracts that could help retool the > oil infrastructure. > > A key difference in the US and French position concerns the escrow > account. Burleigh's comments indicated that Washington considers the > account as an effective way of controlling Iraqi finances. > > =46rance, which is proposing a new monitoring system to ensure that Iraq > does not rearm, did not mention the escrow account in its proposals, > apparently fearing that such an idea would have been immediately > rejected by the Iraqi leadership opposed to UN "trusteeship." > > Reacting to the disarmament aspect of the French proposals, permanent > members Britain and the United States were firmly opposed to turning > the page on disarmament in order to focus on long-term monitoring, > diplomats said. > > Delegations including Britain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and the > United States called for the UN Special Commission tasked with Iraqi > disarmament to present to the council a review of the weapons of mass > destruction files. > > But Russian Ambassador Sergei Lavrov strongly rejected calls for any > involvement by UNSCOM in such a review. > > Russia has expressed fierce opposition to both UNSCOM and its > chairman, Richard Butler, since last month's air strikes on Iraq by > Britain and the United States which were triggered by a negative > UNSCOM report on Iraqi cooperation with the inspectors. > > Canadian Ambassador Robert Fowler put forward a compromise proposal, > diplomats said, which called for an assessment on both the > humanitarian and disarmament fronts. > > He suggested that the council call for a report from a "joint meeting" > of UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency which would be > chaired by the UN under-secretary-general for disarmament, Jayantha > Dhanapala -- not by Butler. > > A humanitarian meeting, chaired by UN humanitarian coordinator Sergio > Vieira de Mello, would meanwhile prepare the second report, Fowler > suggested. > > Lavrov, who is due to put forward Russian proposals on Iraq on Friday, > saw some merit in the Canadian proposals. > > > > JOIN THE ACTIVIST MAILING LIST > _____________________________________________________ > * The Activist * > http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian > =20 > This is not about the world that we inherited from our forefathers, > It is about the world we have borrowed from our children !! > _____________________________________________________
Activist Mailing List - http://users.westnet.gr/~cgian/ U$ proposes lifting Irak oil-cap without removing oil-embargo After 8 years, U$ proposes to take a humanitarian-looking stance ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Agence France Presse Friday January 15,=20 US proposes free Iraq oil exports, but differs with France on controls UNITED NATIONS, Jan 14 (AFP) - The United States on Thursday matched a call by France to allow Iraq to freely export oil, but the two capitals remained poles apart on the control of Iraqi oil revenues. The United States made it clear in the proposals outlined during closed-door Security Council discussions that Washington intended to keep tight control of Iraqi oil revenues by expanding an existing UN-administered oil-for-food scheme. =46rance, meanwhile, is calling for the lifting of the eight-year oil embargo so that Iraq can spend its oil revenues freely, while respecting military restrictions, in the hope of encouraging Iraq to agree to the return of UN arms inspectors. The 15-member Security Council has authorized Iraq since December 1996 to export limited quantities of oil in return for food and medicine for its sanctions-hit people. The scheme, which is renewed on a monthly basis, currently provides for Iraq to export 5.2 billion dollars worth of oil. But at current depressed prices, Iraq is struggling to produce three billion dollars worth. US Ambassador Peter Burleigh told reporters that he had proposed to council members removing the cap on the Iraqi oil exports, in a move which was seen here as purely symbolic. He also said that Washington would agree to proposals which it had resisted last year, including streamlining the approval of contracts and the automatic approval of food and medical contracts without UN sanctions committee involvement. He said that Washington was also reviewing Iraqi spare parts contracts for the oil industry which had been placed on hold by its delegation in the sanctions committee, and suggested that voluntary contributions could be placed into the escrow account which controls the Iraqi oil revenues. Asked to react to Burleigh's proposal to remove the oil export cap, =46rench Ambassador Alain Dejammet replied: "if you decide to eliminate the ceiling over the oil exports, it is something which is very close to saying you are lifting the oil embargo, it could practically be the same." Dejammet had pointed out on Wednesday, when France circulated its proposals to the full council, that the oil embargo had been effectively lifted without anybody noticing in February last year. That was when the council raised the export ceiling from two billion dollars to 5.2 billion in the knowledge that Iraq did not have the capacity to reach the target. Iraq is pumping oil at full capacity, and until now, Washington has withheld permission for 152 spare contracts that could help retool the oil infrastructure. A key difference in the US and French position concerns the escrow account. Burleigh's comments indicated that Washington considers the account as an effective way of controlling Iraqi finances. =46rance, which is proposing a new monitoring system to ensure that Iraq does not rearm, did not mention the escrow account in its proposals, apparently fearing that such an idea would have been immediately rejected by the Iraqi leadership opposed to UN "trusteeship." Reacting to the disarmament aspect of the French proposals, permanent members Britain and the United States were firmly opposed to turning the page on disarmament in order to focus on long-term monitoring, diplomats said. Delegations including Britain, the Netherlands, Slovenia and the United States called for the UN Special Commission tasked with Iraqi disarmament to present to the council a review of the weapons of mass destruction files. But Russian Ambassador Sergei Lavrov strongly rejected calls for any involvement by UNSCOM in such a review. Russia has expressed fierce opposition to both UNSCOM and its chairman, Richard Butler, since last month's air strikes on Iraq by Britain and the United States which were triggered by a negative UNSCOM report on Iraqi cooperation with the inspectors. Canadian Ambassador Robert Fowler put forward a compromise proposal, diplomats said, which called for an assessment on both the humanitarian and disarmament fronts. He suggested that the council call for a report from a "joint meeting" of UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency which would be chaired by the UN under-secretary-general for disarmament, Jayantha Dhanapala -- not by Butler. A humanitarian meeting, chaired by UN humanitarian coordinator Sergio Vieira de Mello, would meanwhile prepare the second report, Fowler suggested. Lavrov, who is due to put forward Russian proposals on Iraq on Friday, saw some merit in the Canadian proposals. 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