Seán Ryan
Question:10 Mr. S. Ryan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will make a statement on the position regarding the sanctions on Iraq. [29254/01]
Other Questions. - Sanctions on Iraq.
The Government is gravely concerned at the humanitarian situation in Iraq. Ireland, as a recent member of the UN Security Council, is committed to reform of the sanctions so as to eliminate the suffering caused to the people of Iraq. The reason sanctions remain in place is Iraq's rejection of Security Council demands that it allow UN arms inspectors to verify that it is not engaged in the production of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. Iraq refuses to comply with Security Council Resolution 1284, adopted in December 1999, which established a new arms inspection body, the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, known by the acronym UNMOVIC. Resolution 1284 provides for the suspension of sanctions in the event that the Government of Iraq allows arms inspections to be renewed.
To respond to the needs of the people of Iraq, the UN has progressively developed its humanitarian operations in the country. Under Resolution 1284 money from the unrestricted export of oil by Iraq is used to purchase food and medicines as well as for the repair and maintenance of essential Iraqi infrastructure. However, in his latest report of 3 October on the operation of the UN humanitarian programme in Iraq, the UN Secretary General expressed concern over Iraqi non-co-operation with the UN. This is creating serious difficulties in the effective implementation of the programme. According to the Secretary General, the Government of Iraq is in a position to address the nutritional and health concerns of the Iraqi people, particularly children. That those needs are not being met fully is due to the failure of the Government of Iraq to meet its responsibilities under the memorandum of understanding between it and the UN for the implementation of the oil for food programme. In other areas the Secretary General expressed concern at the unnecessarily harsh application of sanctions in some instances, particularly the rise in the value of holds on supplies required for the maintenance and upgrading of essential sectors of the Iraqi economy.
The current phase of the UN humanitarian programme in Iraq expires at the end of November. The Security Council has under consideration, but has not so far reached agreement on, proposals from Britain and the United States to place the sanctions on a new basis. These would allow the free importation into Iraq of all goods except for those on a narrowly focused list of items considered to have possible military appli cation. The new system would remove many of the cumbersome procedures in place under the present system and greatly facilitate action in the Iraq sanctions committee in eliminating the unacceptably high number of holds placed on contracts.
During my recent visits to the UN I had meetings on the situation in Iraq with the UN Secretary General, the executive director of the UN Iraq programme, Mr. Benon Sevan, and Dr. Hans Blix, executive chairman of UNMOVIC. Most recently, during my last visit to attend the UN general debate, on 13 November I met the Foreign Minister of Iraq, Minister Naji Sabri. At all these meetings I raised the prospect for the improved implementation and reform of the sanctions regime and the eventual suspension and lifting of the sanctions in the context of Iraq's agreement to allow verification by UN arms inspectors. I particularly pressed upon Iraq the need to co-operate fully with the UN in the implementation of its responsibilities under the humanitarian programme.
Additional informationCo-operation by Iraq with the demands of the Security Council will make it possible for the entire issue of sanctions to be resolved. Without that co-operation there is no likelihood of the Security Council agreeing to the immediate lifting of sanctions or for changing current arrangements for UN oversight of expenditure of Iraqi oil revenues as demanded by Iraq. In these circumstances, revision of sanctions along the lines proposed by Britain and the United States offers at present the only real prospect to address the humanitarian situation and greatly reduce the number of holds.
Ireland wishes to see rapid progress in the Security Council to place the sanctions regime on a new basis in time for the next roll-over of the humanitarian programme. In the negotiations which have taken place we sought support for proposals which would reduce holds, alleviate the humanitarian situation and provide as far as possible for the normal development of the Iraqi economy for the long-term benefit of the people of Iraq. Unfortunately, it has not been possible so far to reach the necessary level of agreement in the Security Council on these reforms. Ireland has been active at a number of levels in urging flexibility. The issue is due to be considered again by the Security Council at the end of this month.
In view of the fact that the Iraqi regime has scant regard for international human rights and codes of best practice and for the rights of its people, is there any difference in the way the sanctions apply in the UN controlled zones in Iraq, particularly the no-fly zones? I was interested to hear him speak about his conversations with Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General. Has the Secretary General a view on how the sanctions regime against Iraq should evolve and develop in the future?
This has arisen in the context of the most recent events regarding international terrorism. The question of international peace and security is a major issue. One will recall in the aftermath of the Gulf War the UN decided there was a need for the Iraqi Government, if it wanted to return as a full member of the international community, to confirm to the international community that it does not have a capacity to use biological, chemical or other weapons. We have seen the use of those weapons against the Kurdish people within Iraq. It is also a matter of major concern to its neighbours and to the wider international community as to whether the capacity remains for the production of these types of weapons and, if those weapons are still there, that there is independent verification of the fact that they are no longer there. If, as is contended, the Iraqi Government believes it no longer has that capacity, it should not have a problem allowing a verification mission into Iraq to confirm that to the satisfaction of the international community.
As regards the humanitarian needs of the people of Iraq, it must be recognised that humanitarian aid must be provided in those areas where the UN has the front line responsibility and ability to do so. The most recent UN Secretary General's report confirmed that it is within the capacity of the Government to provide for the nutritional needs of its people if it is prepared to work the oil for food programme as envisaged. We have supported efforts within the Security Council in respect of a proposal which has been sponsored by the United States and the United Kingdom to get all members to agree to change the way in which the sanctions regime works to allow in all goods except those on a specific basis which could have the capacity to be adapted militarily and used for purposes other than what one would have expected them to be used for in the first place.
We will continue to work to try to get unanimity on the Security Council on that matter. That would be an improvement on the situation, while maintaining the principal that the new sanctions regime should be adopted to meet the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people who are innocent. That would continue until such time as the Iraqi Government complies with the demands of the international community under the UN Security Council resolutions that it allows inspections by UNMOVIC under Dr. Hans Blix. That should be considered by the Iraqi Government. The sanctions regime could not only be suspended but lifted in the context of compliance with that Security Council resolution.
We have seen in the past what can happen when other regimes do not comply with resolutions. We know, for example, that a number of efforts were made by the international community in relation to Afghanistan, including the imposition of sanctions on the Taliban when it refused to hand up Osama bin Laden and the Al Qaeda network for terrorist acts against US targets not only in Yemen but also in Africa. It is important that the rules of international law are upheld in this case. We hope the Iraqi regime will respond to the demand of the international community to satisfy the rest of us, as it seems to satisfy itself, that it does not have this capacity.