Vol. 473 No. 6
90 Mr. R. Burke asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the Government's response to the decision taken by the companies Total and Elf to drill for oil in the Marsh Arab lands known as the Cradle of Civilisation. [2238/97]
The decision to drill for oil arises from the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 986 of April 1995 on which an agreement was concluded between the UN and Iraq last December. The "oil for food" Resolution, as it is otherwise known, is intended as a temporary measure to relieve the humanitarian plight of the Iraqi population, including the Marsh Arabs, until there is full compliance by the Iraqi regime with the Security Council resolutions imposed after the Gulf War. It allows Iraq to sell specified quantities of oil and provides for two-thirds of oil sale receipts to be allocated for the purchase of food and medical supplies. It also allows Iraq to enter into deals with international oil firms for the extraction of petroleum products.
Most importantly from a humanitarian point of view, Iraq has agreed for the first time that UN observers will be allowed to operate in central and southern Iraq which includes the Marsh Arab territories, where the population has been under severe pressure from the Iraqi armed forces for many years. I am glad that supplies of food and medicine will shortly be reaching, under UN supervision, the Marsh Arabs and other suffering sectors of the Iraqi population. While I am not in a position to comment on individual oil contracts with international firms, the presence of UN humanitarian observers should help to ensure that the lives and, as far as possible, the unique lifestyle of the Marsh Arab population will be preserved from any possible negative side effects of the implementation of Resolution 986.
