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Iraq Wins Battle Over "Smart" Sanctions
BAGHDAD, July 3 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Iraq rejoiced Tuesday over U.N. Security Council's decision Monday to indefinitely postpone a vote on the so-called "smart" sanctions, which would have modified the 11-year-old sweeping U.N. embargo on trade with Iraq, news agencies reported.
In an interview with Qatari satellite TV channel, Al-Jazeera, Iraq's minister of state for foreign affairs, Naji Sabri al-Hadithi, underscored the "victory for the will of our Arab people … [and] the countries which voiced their rejection, … such as Jordan, Syria and Egypt".
A resolution on the introduction of smart sanctions, sponsored by London and Washington, was submitted to the Security Council, but in the face of Russian opposition, it was decided to postpone a vote, the French news agency AFP reported.
Jeremy Greenstock, Britain's ambassador to the United Nations, and drafter of the proposals, said London had dropped plans to put smart sanctions to the vote on Tuesday because of Russian opposition, the BBC online service reported.
The reforms would scrap the embargo on civilian trade with Baghdad while tightening controls to prevent alleged oil smuggling out of Iraq and illegal arms imports into the country.
Baghdad has repeatedly announced that it has already disarmed, and has, called for a well-deserved unconditional lifting of sanctions.
The Security Council's decision will open the way for Iraq to resume oil exports, which were suspended a month ago.
"All the countries which respect the sovereignty of Iraq and keep out of its internal affairs while defending their national interests will certainly benefit," said Hadithi, referring to Moscow's stand.
Iraq, which cut off exports under the program on June 4 in protest to the "smart" sanctions, said Monday it would seriously consider resuming oil sales if the Council renewed the program for a regular term.
"If it is a straightforward extension for six months, without any new conditions imposed, ... we will study it very seriously," said an Iraqi delegate to a meeting of OPEC oil ministers in Vienna, according to AFP.
The suspension of Iraqi oil sales under the humanitarian program removed about 2.2 million barrels per day from the world market.
Meanwhile, Jordan's press and analysts said Tuesday that a U.N. decision to put off a vote on a U.S.-British bid to impose new sanctions on Iraq was a "new failure" for U.S. policy, and bolsters the interests of the kingdom.
Jordan notified the United Nations and the United States of its rejection of the "smart" sanctions proposals. King Abdullah II reiterated his country's position in talks Friday in Amman with U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell.
French President Jacques Chirac, currently on a visit to Moscow, said Tuesday that the U.N. Security Council should mend its divisions over the introduction of "smart" sanctions against Iraq, news agencies reported.
Speaking on Echo Moscow radio, Chirac said it was better to postpone a decision on a new sanctions regime than to try and pressure Russia into falling into line.
Russia, one of Baghdad's biggest creditors and trading partners, is strongly opposed to the plan and has threatened to use its status as a permanent U.N. Security Council member to veto the measure.
But, Chirac reiterated French support for changes to the current sanctions regime, which have been criticized by some European nations for being a blunt instrument that disproportionately hurts the Iraqi people as opposed to the regime.
"We share with Vladimir Putin the position that we need to open up the borders some more to ease the suffering of the Iraqi people, who are innocent victims of the tyranny of their rulers, and to ease the threat to peace in the region."
The United States, meanwhile, betrayed signs of frustration with Russia Monday after Moscow blocked a drive in the United Nations Security Council to retool sanctions against Iraq.
U.S. efforts to convince Russia, which has veto power in the Council, to sign up to the "smart" sanctions failed.
Even a phone-call Monday between Secretary of State, Colin Powel, and Russian Foreign Minister, Igor Ivanov, could not bridge the gap.
Disappointed by Russian objections, Washington agreed to support an extension of the food for oil program, which allows Iraq to sell a limited amount of oil to buy food and medicine, while talks continue on a new range of sanctions.
Retooling U.N. sanctions on Iraq is a key foreign policy goal of President George W. Bush's new administration.
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