Iraq, U.S. split on sanctions changes

Baghdad markets will look to benefit from the changes in the U.N.'s sanctions

LONDON, England -- The U.N. Security Council's unanimous vote to overhaul sanctions against Iraq is the greatest change in the programme since it was imposed more than 10 years ago.

A new 332-page list of "dual goods" is aimed at speeding the movement of humanitarian goods into the country by removing U.N. bureaucracy.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said the new programme will "improve the Iraqi regime's ability to meet the needs of its people."

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said Tuesday's vote "eliminates excuses for inaction or evasion of U.N. sanctions on Iraq."

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Fleischer added: "For this new system to be effective in bringing help to the people of Iraq, there must be a real commitment by the government of Iraq to this same goal.

"Now Iraq's government has the opportunity to prove that it seeks the same benefits for all its citizens."

But Iraq's U.N. ambassador, Mohammad Al-Douri, said the new list complicates the delivery of humanitarian items and "will prevent any development of the Iraqi economy" by blocking the import of agricultural, electrical and sanitation equipment.

"This is a new harassment on the Iraqi people," he added.

Russia, which has lobbied for the relaxation of restrictions on Iraq, said Tuesday's 15-0 vote should be a step towards a "comprehensive approach" to the sanctions issue.

The new sanctions structure will attempt to remove the United States from some of the decision-making process.

Currently a U.N. sanctions committee must approve virtually every contract for humanitarian goods. But because any Security Council member can put a contract on hold, the United States in practice can control the process.

Washington has blocked some $5 billion worth of orders entering Iraq.

Under the changes, the sanctions committee would need to review only those items on the new "dual goods" list.

Such items include high-speed computers, sprayers that could disperse chemical weapons, and heavy-duty trucks that could transport tanks.

Items not on the list -- from sewing machines to bicycles -- can move to Iraq more quickly, while military goods will continue to be banned outright.

Contracts for humanitarian goods will be sent to the U.N. office running the programme, where they will be processed within 10 days.

They will then go to the U.N. Monitoring and Verification Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency, which have another 10 days to make a decision.

The Security Council also voted to extend the oil-for-food programme introduced in December 1996 until November 2002.

Sanctions were initially imposed on Iraq in August 1990 after Iraqi troops invaded Kuwait.

The oil-for-food programme gives Iraq the chance to sell oil in order to buy food, medicine and other goods to ease the impact of sanctions on ordinary Iraqis.

The sanctions cannot be lifted until U.N. inspectors determine that Iraq has dismantled its biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programmes and the long-range missiles to deliver those weapons.