Vol. 519 No. 1
2 Mr. M. Higgins asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the steps the Government is taking to ensure the lifting of non-military sanctions against Iraq in view of the severe hardship being caused, especially to children; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13054/00]
The Government is deeply concerned about the suffering of the people of Iraq, especially children, and the problems in implementing international humanitarian aid programmes as a result of sanctions.
Within the United Nations and the EU we have expressed our concerns about the humanitarian situation. The Taoiseach and I raised this issue directly with the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, in Washington in March and urged the United States, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, to seek to rectify the difficulties under the sanctions programme.
The council clearly needs to take full account of the grave humanitarian situation of the Iraqi people in its further consideration of the sanctions issue. In particular, we advocate further reductions in the number of refusals and delays by the sanctions committee in clearing supplies contracted under the oil for food programme. The new UN humanitarian aid co-ordinator, Tun Myat, drew attention to this issue when he took up duty in Baghdad on 30 April.
The imposition and administration of the sanctions primarily remain a matter for the Security Council. The council continues to impose sanctions on Iraq as a result of that Government's refusal to co-operate with the UN special commission appointed to verify the dismantling of Iraq's programme to acquire weapons of mass destruction. The council is acting within the powers and responsibilities conferred on it under Chapter VII of the UN Charter. Article 41 of the Charter empowers the Security Council to interrupt economic relations where it has determined there is a threat to international peace. Ireland stands by its obligation under Article 25 of the Charter to accept and carry out the decisions of the council. This is binding upon all UN member states.
The Security Council adopted a comprehensive resolution, No. 1284, last December in which it provided for the suspension and ultimate lifting of sanctions in return for Iraqi co-operation with the military or, more properly, disarmament provisions of the resolution. The resolution unconditionally removed the ceiling on the export of oil to fund the purchase of humanitarian supplies and includes a number of other measures aimed at easing the negative effect of sanctions on the civilian population.
On 14 April, the Security Council approved the blueprint for the new UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission – UNMOVIC – headed by Hans Blix, a former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. The blueprint emphasises the need to ensure the independence of the commission's members and the confidentiality of their work to avoid accusations of espionage such as Iraq levelled at its predecessor, UNSCOM. Under Resolution 1284 sanctions can be suspended if Iraq allows arms inspectors to start work and co-operates fully with them. Mr. Blix has stated that the commission will be ready to begin work in August. Iraq has stated that it will not allow UNMOVIC start work. We hope the Iraqi Government will reverse this decision.
Acting under Resolution 1284, the Secretary General has reviewed the delays on contracts. On 24 March, the members of the council agreed to make a greater allocation for spare parts for the ailing Iraqi oil industry, doubling this budget to $1.2 billion. They also expressed strong concern, which we share, about the number of refusals and delays by the sanctions committee in clearing supplies contracted under the oil for food programme. Since then, $110 million worth of contracts have been cleared. The council had earlier introduced an accelerated procedure for the approval of humanitarian supplies; this has been in operation since 1 March. We welcome these steps.
An open debate on the general question of sanctions took place in the Security Council on 17 April. Ireland was centrally involved in ensuring that humanitarian concerns were presented in the common statement by the EU Presidency. We welcomed the Security Council decision following that debate to establish guidelines for a working group on United Nations sanctions. The council members made clear that sanctions regimes should be carefully defined and focused and tailored to the particular situation in which they are to be applied. They also discussed the streamlining of procedures for approving humanitarian exemptions, as well as a study on how to avoid negative collateral effects of sanctions on third countries.
I urge the Iraqi Government to comply with Security Council resolutions, particularly in relation to disarmament, as well as to co-operate adequately with the UN oil for food programme, and in particular to ensure equitable distribution to the civilian population of supplies made available under that programme. I am hopeful that, with the necessary co-operation from Baghdad, greater progress can be made in reducing suffering and hardship in Iraq.
When I last asked this question the Minister for the Marine and Natural Resources, Deputy Fahey, was standing in for the Minister for Foreign Affairs. He gave me an outline of our UN obligations. That is not in question. The Minister of State, on Tuesday, 7 April, said she was against sanctions on non-military aid to Iraq. Is that the Department's view? If it is, what consideration or response has the Department given to Denis Halliday's report on his retirement as co-ordinator of humanitarian relief or on Hans Von Sponeck's report when he resigned as co-ordinator of humanitarian relief?
Is the Minister not concerned that perhaps 4,500 children per month are dying because of the intransigent continuation of sanctions against a civilian population? Does she agree that there is a moral question involved when 4,500 children per month must die if the sanctions continue indefinitely? What information has been secured from either the United States Government or the British Government in response to the Von Sponeck report or to Denis Halliday's report? Does the Department propose to issue a comment on Denis Halliday's report, which led to his resignation?
I share the Deputy's concern about the terrible humanitarian impact of these sanctions on the children of Iraq. On every opportunity that has arisen, the Government and its officials have raised our concerns about the humanitarian impact of the sanctions.
An open debate on the general question of sanctions took place in the Security Council on 17 April. Ireland was centrally involved in ensuring that humanitarian concerns were presented in the common statement by the EU Presidency. We welcomed the Security Council decision, following that debate, to establish guidelines for a working group on United Nations sanctions.
The council members made clear that sanctions regimes should be carefully defined and focused and tailored to the particular situation in which they are to be applied. They also discussed the streamlining of procedures for approving humanitarian exemptions as well as studies on how to avoid the negative collateral effects of sanctions on third countries. We urge the Iraqi Government to comply with Security Council resolutions, particularly in relation to disarmament, as well as to co-operate adequately with the UN oil for food programme and in particular to ensure equitable distribution to the civilian population of supplies made available under that programme.
In relation to the humanitarian aspects, we have supported the humanitarian aid effort. We made an emergency humanitarian grant of £100,000 to the Red Cross last year to assist in its relief work in areas such as medical support for the victims of war, prisoners' welfare and water and sanitation. There is a proposal under consideration in the Department for a further allocation of £150,000 to UNICEF in this regard.
Does the Minister agree that the controversial UNSCOM report has recorded that 80% of the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq were degraded in the first 18 months? One is talking about the remaining 20%, most of which were supplied by the countries that are imposing the sanctions. One is left with the scandal of the civilian population being asked to suffer as a result of the continuation of these sanctions.
Does the Minister consider it acceptable that there be an indefinite extension of the no-fly zone, which affects the civilian population, across a major portion of Iraq? Is she aware that the oil for food programme included an objection to pencils going to Iraq from Jordan because they contained lead? Will the Minister undertake to place in the Oireachtas Library a response from the Department to the Halliday and Von Sponeck resignations and an up-to-date report on the present position? Will she also indicate the number of times they have been raised between the British and US authorities?
With regard to the latter part of the Deputy's question, we raised it at a formal meeting with Secretary of State Albright at the St. Patrick's Day celebrations. I will request that a report following the resignation of Mr. Halliday be sent to the Deputy.
Saddam Hussein has displayed a marked reluctance to comply with the terms of the Security Council resolutions from the outset. Currently, Iraq is, in effect, ignoring most of these in violation of the obligations it undertook when it joined the United Nations.
I am interested in the children.
I share the Deputy's concern about the children.
Will the Minister send me a copy of that report?
Yes.
