The suffering of the people of Iraq, especially children, and the problems in implementing the United Nations humanitarian programmes in Iraq, continue to be of deep concern to the Government. We have consistently raised within the United Nations and the EU the urgent need to improve the conditions of the general population in Iraq. The Security Council clearly needs to take full account of the grave humanitarian situation of the Iraqi people in its further consideration of the sanctions issue. Our policy has been to 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 Taoiseach and I raised these issues with the US Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, in Washington in March, and urged the United States, as a permanent member of the Security Council, to seek to reduce the delays on needed medicines and spare parts for infrastructure. The Secretary of State, Mrs. Albright, listened carefully to the concerns we expressed about the effects of the sanctions on the people of Iraq, especially children. She pointed out the lack of co-operation by the Iraqi authorities with the positive humanitarian provisions in UN Resolution 1284 which was adopted by the Security Council last December, but rejected by Iraq. Our concerns have also been presented in discussions at official level with our British counterparts. Under the provisions of Resolution 1284 the ceiling on the export of oil to fund the purchase of humanitarian supplies was unconditionally removed.
The Council has introduced an accelerated procedure for the approval of humanitarian supplies which has been in operation since the beginning of March. Under this streamlined procedure, some $2 billion worth of contracts for the food, education, medical, agricultural, water and sanitation sectors have been approved on a basis of notification of the Council. On 24 March, the Council agreed to make a greater allocation for spare parts for the ailing Iraqi oil industry, doubling this budget to $1.2 billion. Nevertheless, the UN Secretary General in his report to the Council of 8 September expressed concern about the negative impact on the rehabilitation of Iraqi infrastructure of holds and delays by the sanctions committee in clearing supplies contracted under the oil for food programme.
The Government has also addressed these humanitarian concerns directly. A £100,000 grant by Ireland Aid to the International Committee of the Red Cross was agreed last week to address the rehabilitation of health facilities in Iraq as well as water and sanitation facilities.
Security Council Resolution 1284 also provides for the suspension of sanctions in return for Iraqi co-operation with a new disarmament supervisory commission and full compliance with all conditions imposed by the Security Council.
Additional InformationThe basis for the continued imposition of sanctions on Iraq remains the Iraqi 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 Government regrets that Iraq has not so far fully complied with the resolutions adopted by the Security Council, including those provisions concerning Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. With the necessary co-operation from Baghdad, greater progress can be made in the suspension and ultimate lifting of sanctions.
We hope that further progress will be made on this issue by the time we take our seat on the Security Council in January. As a member of the council, we will consider the position in Iraq in the light of developments and in line with the policy I have outlined above.