> >From: Mark Clement <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Mailing-List: list [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject:IRAQ SANCTIONS MONITOR 110 > > >IRAQ SANCTIONS MONITOR >Tuesday August 22, 2000 > >PLEASE NOTE THE MARIAM APPEAL HAS MOVED. >THE NEW CONTACT NUMBERS ARE: >TEL: +44 (0)20 7403 5200 >FAX: +44 (0)20 7 403 3823 >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- > > >New U.N. Weapons Inspection Team Is Prepared to Go to Iraq >From WASHINGTON POST, August 22nd, 2000 >By Colum Lynch Special to The Washington Post >More than 1 1/2 years after United Nations weapons experts departed Iraq on >the eve of a U.S.-British air bombardment, a new team of U.N. inspectors has >been prepared to return to Iraq to restart the process of disarming that >nation's weapons of mass destruction, according to senior U.N. diplomats. >Hans Blix, the chairman of a U.N. inspection agency established by the >Security Council nine months ago to complete the disarmament of Iraq, has >concluded in a report to the Security Council that an advance team of >weapons inspectors is ready to go to Iraq, according to a U.N. diplomat. >Iraqi President Saddam Hussein has stated repeatedly that his nation has no >intention of permitting U.N. arms inspectors back into Iraq. And the United >States and Britain appear disinclined to threaten the use of force to compel >Iraq to accept the inspectors, so it seems unlikely they will enter the >country soon. >Iraq, meanwhile, has pressed its allies on the Security Council, principally >Russia, to seek an end to economic sanctions. Following a meeting in Moscow >between Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz and President Vladimir Putin, >Russian officials in New York said they had little hope that Iraq would >agree to allow the U.N. inspectors back without clearer assurances that >sanctions would be lifted. >U.S. officials have expressed concern that Iraq may have reconstituted its >prohibited weapons programs in the absence of U.N. inspectors. And the >United States and Britain are expected to cite the report's findings in >urging the council's other key members, including Russia, China and France, >to use their influence to persuade Iraq to submit to new inspections. Under >the terms of a 1991 cease-fire agreement ending the Persian Gulf War, Iraq >is obliged to provide full access to U.N. inspectors charged with ridding >the country of long- and medium-range missiles and nuclear, chemical and >biological weapons. >In exchange for compliance, the council has pledged to provide Baghdad >relief from a decade of economic sanctions. >The task of disarmament was carried out by the U.N. Special Commission >(UNSCOM) until December 1998, when the inspectors were ordered to leave by >the commission's chief, Richard Butler, as the United States and Britain >prepared to launch the air campaign against Iraq. >Iraq has refused to let inspectors return, citing reports that the United >States used the inspection agency to spy on Iraq. Earlier this year, the >Security Council created a successor agency, the U.N. Monitoring, >Verification and Inspection Commission, to complete the job of disarming >Iraq. Unlike UNSCOM, which relied primarily on personnel loaned by >governments, the new agency's arms experts will be employed by the United >Nations. >Blix is scheduled to discuss his findings with a panel of international arms >experts, known as the college of commissioners, later this week. >He will then report to the Security Council that the inspectors are prepared >to begin their work. The decision comes as a team of U.N. inspectors >completed its final round of training in Maryland > >Russia discusses development of oil deposits in Iraq >From RIA OREANDA, August 21st, 2000 >Moscow. The Russian governmental delegation has completed a short visit to >Iraq, which was done as infringement to international sanctions. The >delegation conducted negotiations with Baghdad - on the subject of Russian >oil companies' participation in development of oil deposits. >Russia wants to resume collaboration with Iraq as soon as possible, hoping >to get Iraq's multi-billion debt back, BBC said. > > >Russian mineclearing assistance for Iraq >From BBC INTERNATIONAL REPORTS (FS1), August 21st, 2000 > Excerpts from report in English by Russian news agency ITAR-TASS > Moscow, 21st August: It is planned to open a specialized > humanitarian mine-clearing centre in Iraq with the assistance of > Russia's Ministry for Emergencies. Such is one of the results of > the Russian delegation's visit to Baghdad. The delegation was > led by Ruslan Tsalikov, deputy minister for emergencies. > In Baghdad on Sunday [20th August], the Russian delegation > leader signed a memorandum of understanding between the Russian > Ministry for Emergencies and the Interior Ministry of the > Republic of Iraq on civil defence and prevention of disasters. > The document envisages in particular the establishment of a > humanitarian mineclearing centre. > According to the official data of the Iraqi leadership, there > are about 450,000 unexploded missiles and bombs of American make > on the country's territory. Russian Ministry specialists will > assist the Iraqi side in rendering them harmless. > > > >Iraq Selling More Oil for Food >From UPI SPOTLIGHT, August 21st, 2000 > > UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Iraq exported 17.5 million barrels of oil > last week as part of the Security Council-authorized oil for food program, >a > U.N. spokesman said Monday. Fred Eckhard, the secretary general's >spokesman, > told reporters that since the eighth phase of the program started in June, > Iraq had exported oil worth more than $3.4 billion, most of it of the >Kirkuk > type. > > >Iraq will respond to Turkish air raid on north >From AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE, August 21st, 2000 > > BAGHDAD, Aug 21 (AFP) - Iraq said Monday it was determined to respond to >an > air raid carried out last week by Turkey on the north of the country, in >which > it said 40 people were killed and dozens injured. > > "Iraq reserves the right to respond to this aggression at the right time > and place," a foreign ministry spokesman said, quoted by the official INA >news > agency. > > "We strongly condemn this crime committed by Turkish troops against Iraqi > civilians ... which is a link in the chain of attacks carried out by >Ankara > against Iraq since 1991," the spokesman said, referring to the year of the > > Gulf War. > > Turkey admitted Friday that it had launched an operation against Turkish > Kurdish rebels in northern Iraq and said it was investigating claims by >Iraqi > factions in the area that civilians were killed in the strike. > > "Turkey carries out operations in northern Iraq from time to time as part > of the combat against the terrorist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK)," a > spokesman for the Turkish foreign ministry, Huseyin Dirioz, said. > > Dirioz said such military operations started only after measures were >taken > to prevent any harm to civilians in the Kurdish-held enclave. > > >Clinton administration flouts Iraq Liberation Act >From UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL, August 21st, 2000 > > WASHINGTON, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- The Clinton administration has been spending >the > money Congress appropriated to overthrow Saddam Hussein on contractors and > consultants while withholding arms from the Iraqi opposition, experts >said. > The latest example is a workshop proposed by the Conflict Management Group, >a > nonprofit offshoot of the Harvard Negotiation Project at Harvard Law >School. > The subcontractor group describes its objective in turbid academic jargon: >"To > identify, diagnose, and enhance the ability of the Iraqi opposition >parties, > and the individuals within the parties, to discuss, design, and facilitate > intra- and inter-organization dialogue, cooperation, and problem solving." > > Translation: Pull Iraqi resistance fighters out of the field, bring them to > Harvard, and teach them how to get along. > "They couldn't find Iraq on a map," said Francis Brooke, the Washington > representative of the main opposition group. "It's ludicrous what they're > proposing. Somehow, theoretically, they're going to grab all the Iraqi > opposition parties they know nothing about and bring them together in a > Harvard seminar, where they're going to teach them how to get in touch >with > their inner selves." > Brooke said he had talked on the phone with Ahmed Chalabi, head of the >Iraqi > National Congress (INC), the London-based umbrella organization for the >Iraqi > opposition. The group had e-mailed Chalabi, asking for his help in >obtaining > "a list of opposition parties and contact information." > "What a great waste of money," Brooke said Chalabi had told him, "Raise >hell > about it." > That the fractious Iraqi opposition needs cohesion in order to prevail >against > Saddam Hussein is not in dispute, but is the Harvard workshop an effective >way > of going about it? > A congressional staffer familiar with Iraq said, "It came as a surprise to >me > that anyone would think that this kind of expenditure would be a useful > contribution to the effort." > He was asked why the administration would rather spend money on consultants > than on weapons and ammunition, and he met that question with a long >pause. > "I think if you survey the last three years of policy toward Iraq, the only > conclusion you can draw is that the administration has politicized this >policy > to an unconscionable degree," he said finally. "When the president was in > political trouble - with grand jury investigations, and impeachment, and > Monica Lewinsky - suddenly he was rattling the saber, and the chemical > weapons, and the biological weapons and the missile threat from Iraq were > 'absolutely intolerable.' So he resorted to military action, and along the >way > destroyed the U.N. inspections regime that had been in place until that >time. > "The moment he got past impeachment, then the priority was to make this >issue > go away. Suddenly the things we were told we had to worry about, we were >told > we didn't have to worry about. > "During the current phase on the political calendar, I think (the Clinton > team's) strong desire is to keep Iraq out of the news. It's not convenient >to > the administration to have much attention drawn to this, which significant > support to the opposition would do. Bringing in social workers to counsel >the > opposition is a way of spending money that is certainly not going to cause > much alarm in Baghdad. > "And I think Congress has demonstrated that they it wants a more sustained > approach to the problem," he said. > But other, less political, interpretations are possible. Marine Corps Gen. > Anthony Zinni, former commander of U.S. military forces throughout the >Middle > East, has been a vocal opponent of giving lethal assistance to the >scattered > Iraqi opposition. In testimony before both houses of Congress, he said the > administration had identified about 90 opposition groups but that "they >have > little, if any, viability." (In 1999, the administration identified seven > dissident groups that could be eligible for a share of the $97 million.) > "Even if we had Saddam gone, we could end up with 15, 20, or 90 groups > competing for power," the general said. > A State Department official contacted for this story spoke shared Zinni's > views. Aid to the opposition is limited only by its ability to absorb it," >he > said. "We don't want to supply weapons that will be used in internecine > warfare." > The official said he is unaware of any actual fighting between opposition > forces and the Iraqi army. The United States is supplying the opposition >only > with non-lethal aid, he said. This applies both to the $8 million > administration funds and the $97 million Pentagon drawdown. He denied that >the > administration is shortchanging the rebels, saying that some $3 million >was > spent on them in the past year. > The United States pays for the Iraqi National Congress' London office, >travel, > meetings and its appearance at the United Nations, he said, and it also > supports schools where members of the Iraqi opposition are trained in such > matters as field medicine and communications. > "We've committed the monies," the official said. "We've focused on the >effort > that raises the INC's stature and promotes the internal cohesion that will >let > them do more in the future. > "They tell us they want to do more. We welcome that. But we have to make >sure > that they're able to absorb this money and use it effectively, and use it >for > the objectives we've all set without falling into the trap of internecine > rivalry." > The congressional staffer disputed the State Department official's >statement > about the absence of fighting within Iraq. "If he's saying there is not >armed > resistance to Saddam Hussein's forces inside Iraq, that's plainly wrong," >he > said. "Saddam's army is quite aggressive in trying to put down the revolt. > There's huge swaths of Northern Iraq where Saddam's army doesn't operate, > because their forces don't control the ground." > Congress did not restrict the $97 million for non-lethal aid only, he said. > "We have quite a track record on Capitol Hill for urging the >administration to > be more proactive in using that authority, including to provide lethal > assistance, both training and weapons." > The staffer was asked who decides what gets spent, and on what? > "The president," he replied, "and in the real world they would have an > interagency process involved. Because with drawdown, you're sort of >crossing > jurisdictional lines. Drawdown authority basically is the ability of the >State > Department to provide Defense Department resources as something akin to > foreign aid. But obviously, the Defense Department has an interest in >what's > becoming of its resources. > "So in the real world, a lot of consultation goes on between those two > departments. > "Under drawdown, what they've received is some training. I think there was >an > offer to give them some computers and desks, which is ludicrous on its >face, > because to equip an office in London they were going to give them desks >here > in Virginia. If I were to set up an office in London, I think I would buy >a > desk in London. That was just so foolish, it wasn't worth pursuing. We >didn't > pass a $97 million authority to provide Defense Department desks and fax > machines to people in London. > "That's the only equipment that I'm aware having been offered under the > drawdown, and it was a ludicrous offer." > "Until very recently, no funds were given to the INC," the staffer said, >but > occasionally funds were expended on its behalf. "For instance, there was a >big > conference in New York. Prior to that, there had been one in Windsor, >outside > of London, where the U.S. government essentially underwrote the cost of >the > conferences -- the travel and associated expenses. > "But it did so not by giving it to the INC but by hiring an outside >contractor > to do all the logistics - make hotel and airline reservations, give people > their tickets, buy them their meals, provide the support staff for the > meetings. Which, I will tell you, certainly didn't prove to be a > cost-effective way of staging the meetings. > "What the State Department got out of it was a high degree of >accountability," > he said. "When the auditors come through, there's no question where the >money > went. But they seem to have exalted accountability over common sense, >because > they end up spending far more money than you would ordinarily have to pay >for > those kind of events. > "And, quite honestly, I get the sense that this suits the administration >just > fine, because in a lot of ways, they're more interested in shoveling this > money out the door and claiming they've done something than they are in > actually doing something." > Of the $1.14 million obligated to "Activities Inside Iraq" in fiscal year > 1998-1999, the biggest chunk -- $553,000 -- went to Columbia University >"to > establish an institutional framework for constructive interaction with >Iraqi > Kurdish leaders and other parties," according the government's >description. > "Giving money to Columbia University is not what Congress really had in >mind," > the staffer said. > Harvard's Conflict Management Group is coordinating its program with > Columbia's. The CMG's Michael DeKoster was unsuccessful in his attempt to > provide further information to United Press International. He said that > Harvard had been discussed as a venue for the workshop, but in any event >it > would be held in a "neutral place." > > > (c) 2000 UPI All rights reserved. > -0- > > Copyright 2000 by United Press International. >UNITED PRESS INTERNATIONAL, 21st August 2000 > > >Mariam Appeal to launch Iraq International >Work Brigades > >The London based Mariam Appeal recently announced their plans to form >monthly international work brigades who will help build a friendship village >in Iraq beginning May 2001. Mr Stuart Halford the Director of the Mariam >Appeal told ISM that the monthly work brigades will under the supervision of >Iraqi tradesmen and engineers engage in "reconciliation through >reconstruction" in an original form of international solidarity. > >Brigadiers will be in Iraq for exactly one month at a time from May until >October 2001 and every year thereafter. They will have a programme of >construction work in the mornings, lectures and discussions in the >afternoons and social and cultural activities in the evenings. Participants >should be able to speak either English or Arabic (there will be a translator >always on hand) and should be aged 18 and over. And of course they will need >to be fit enough for light construction duties and the heat of the Iraqi >summer. Brigadiers will be asked to make a contribution towards travel to >Amman. All other costs will be met by the Mariam Appeal which will fundraise >for that purpose. > >For further information please contact Stuart Halford at the Mariam >Appeal on [EMAIL PROTECTED] or by telephone on (0044) 207 403 5200 >---------------------------------------------------------------------------- >--------------------- > >MISCELLANY > > >This letter was published in today's Financial Times. > >Chris Doyle > >Financial Times >21 August 2000 > >UN 'hold' on contracts worth $1.7bn threaten aid to Iraqis > >One has to wonder why no major British broadsheet covered the comments of >Benon Sevan, the director of Office of the Iraq Programme just before he >left Iraq last week. He criticised the UN Security Council for the >"excessive" number of holds on purchasing contracts for the humanitarian >programme. According to Mr Sevan, the value of the contracts on hold is a >staggering $1.7 bn. Theses holds are preventing the smooth running of the >operation. As Mr Sevan stated: "You can't distribute supplies if you don't >have trucks." > >Moreover, the lifeline of the Iraqi economy, the oil industry, is seriously >under threat because 21 per cent of the applications on hold are related to >oil supplies. > >This senior UN official has been praised even by the US and the UK. So will >they now listen to him, and take the minimal steps necessary to help the >people of Iraq? > >Chris Doyle > >Chris Doyle >Council for the Advancement of Arab-British Understanding >21 Collingham Road >London SW5 0NU >Tel: 020 7373 8414 >Fax: 020 7835 2088 >Mobile 07968 040 281 > >tel: +44 (0)20 78725451 >fax: +44 (0)20 77532731 >email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >web: www.mariamappeal.com > > > > > > >--------------------------------------------------------------------<e|- >Remember four years of good friends, bad clothes, explosive >chemistry experiments. >http://click.egroups.com/1/8013/3/_/22961/_/966940328/ >--------------------------------------------------------------------|e>- > >Knowledge is Power! >Elimination of the exploitation of man by man >http://www.egroups.com/group/pttp/ >POWER TO THE PEOPLE! > >Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Change Delivery Options: >http://www.egroups.com/mygroups > > _______________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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