Written Answers. - Economic Sanctions.
Nora Owen
Question:
48
Mrs. Owen
asked the
Minister for Foreign Affairs
his views on the continued economic sanctions against Iraq; if he has satisfied himself that the hardship caused to the civilian population is being ameliorated as much as possible; and if he will make a statement on the matter.
[7166/00]
The Government remains deeply concerned about the suffering being endured by the Iraqi people and particularly at the high rate of infant mortality, malnutrition, the inadequacies of the health system, and the deterioration in water supplies.
In response to the humanitarian situation, the UN Security Council set up the oil for food programme, in operation since 1996. Essential food and medicine is purchased for distribution in Iraq. During the six month period ending next month $6.6 billion has been available to this programme.
Ireland is involved in discussions on the issue of the humanitarian situation in Iraq both within the EU and at the United Nations. We favour the holding of an open debate in the Security Council on sanctions next month. We think that the Security Council in its further consideration of the sanctions regime needs to take greater account of the grave humanitarian situation. In particular, we would advocate a reduction in the number of refusals and delays by the sanctions committee in clearing supplies contracted under the oil for food programme.
The Government would urge the Iraqi government to co-operate with Security Council resolution 1284 of 17 December 1999, which unconditionally removed the ceiling on the export of oil to fund the purchase of humanitarian supplies and provided for the suspension of sanctions in return for Iraqi co-operation with a new disarmament supervisory commission, UNMOVIC, and full compliance with all conditions imposed by the Security Council.
The Government made an emergency humanitarian grant of £100,000 to the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1999 to assist its relief work in areas such as medical support for the victims of war, prisoners' welfare and water and sanitation. The increase in the Irish contribution reflected the concern of the public and the government that the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people should be addressed and further suffering by them be avoided.
The Government has also been providing support to the Iraqi Marsh Arabs who are currently seeking refuge in Iran. The Marsh Arabs are Shia Muslims whose traditional homes in the Iraqi wetlands have been destroyed as a result of a massive drainage programme carried out by the Iraqi government. The majority of the refugees live in camps which depend on assistance provided by the Iranian authorities and the international donor community. In the past three years Ireland Aid granted a total of £358,000 to AMAR, the only NGO operating in this area of southern Iran, to fund basic health care, water and sanitation facilities and to organise supplementary feeding centres. A further £126,000 grant by the emergency and rehabilitation committee was approved by the Minister of State last week.
Since 1997, the European Community Humanitarian Office, ECHO, has disbursed almost £15 million in aid to Iraq. ECHO has focussed on the most vulnerable and on areas where it would be most useful and cost effective, such as the renovation of water supplies, support for malnourished children and the rehabilitation of hospitals.
The Iraqi government continues to fail to co-operate adequately with the UN oil for food programme, as detailed in a number of UN reports, for example, UNICEF, UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iraq. At the same time, the Iraqi government has used the crisis to reinforce its power. In his report of 14 October 1999 the UN special rapporteur stated that "the prevailing regime in Iraq has effectively eliminated the civil rights to life, liberty and physical integrity and the freedoms of thought, expression, association and assembly."
The special rapporteur details the significant differences between the improved health and declining child mortality in the north of the country where the UN administers the oil for food programme on behalf of the Iraqi government, and the deteriorating health and child mortality rates in southern and central Iraq where the programme is administered solely by the Iraqi government. He also noted that though revenue from oil exports had increased, the Iraqi government had cut budgets for child nutrition programmes. The UN panel report on the humanitarian situation questioned the stockpiling of essential food and medicine in government warehouses, access to which was strictly restricted to certain categories of people.
Iraq is a party to the International Covenants on Human Rights, including the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Ireland believes that, in line with the requirements of these covenants, there should be no discrimination of any kind in the observance of international human rights standards and would call on the Government of Iraq to abide by its obligations under international human rights treaties and international humanitarian law.
The systematic, widespread and extremely grave violations of human rights and of international humanitarian law by the government of Iraq were condemned in a resolution sponsored by the EU at the UN Commission on Human Rights in 1999. The human rights situation in Iraq continues to be grave and is expected to be the subject of a resolution tabled by the EU at the forthcoming session of the UN Commission on Human Rights.
