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U.S. Praises U.N. Iraq Sanctions Shift, Iraqi PM Urges World to Resist U.S. “Aggressive” Urgings
WASHINGTON,
May 8 (News Agencies) - The White House praised a deal among the five
permanent members of the U.N. Security Council to reform sanctions on
Iraq as "a step forward" that will help deny Baghdad weapons
of mass destruction.
"The goods review list promises to tighten controls over Iraq's
illicit efforts to acquire material for its [so-called] weapons of
mass destruction programs," spokesman Ari Fleischer told
reporters Tuesday, May 7.
"We expect the full Security Council to discuss and then to vote
in favor of this positive action this week," he added.
The five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council agreed Monday,
May 6, to reform sanctions to improve the flow of non-military goods
to Iraq by the end of this month.
The 15-member council was expected to meet Wednesday, May 8, to adopt
a resolution, drafted by the United States, which would take effect
May 30.
The reform will streamline the cumbersome mechanism for vetting all
imports under the United Nations oil-for-food program, set up five and
a half years ago to alleviate the impact of sanctions on the Iraqi
people.
“The Iraqi people will benefit from this new system,” claimed
Fleischer. “However, they will fail to realize the expected benefits
if Saddam Hussein continues to manipulate the overall oil-for-food
program.”
"Saddam Hussein cut off oil exports for one month exacerbating
problems with funding in a vital humanitarian program for the Iraqi
people. He undermines the program with illicit oil sales and schemes
to force buyers to provide cash kickbacks," the White House
spokesman added.
U.S. President George W. Bush has lumped Iraq with North Korea and
Iran in an "axis of evil" and has repeatedly emphasized that
Washington aims to bring about "regime change" in Baghdad.
Meanwhile, Iraqi deputy prime minister Tareq Aziz told a gather
Tuesday of international supporters in Baghdad that the world must
"reject the aggressive urgings" of the United States.
"All
peace-loving countries and free men throughout the world are called
upon to reject the aggressive American urgings," against Iraq,
Aziz said.
"The recent period has been marked by a dangerous escalation in
the aggressive American policy against Iraq.
"U.S. officials have even threatened to invade Iraq militarily
and to change the regime," Aziz added.
"This aggressive attitude can be explained by the policy of
political independence followed by the national leadership of
Iraq," he said.
In another development, Austrian far-right leader Joerg Haider
defended Tuesday his latest trip to Iraq, and condemned U.N. sanctions
against Baghdad which he said were being promoted by the United States
“alone”.
"World public opinion should reflect on the need for political
sanctions inflicted by the U.N. under the pressure of one major power
alone," he told a press conference after his weekend trip to
Baghdad.
Haider,
speaking to reporters in his southern stronghold of Klagenfurt,
insisted that his latest trip to Baghdad "was exclusively
humanitarian in purpose."
"Some 15 Iraqi children suffering from leukemia will soon receive
treatment in Austria," said the Freedom Party strongman, who was
widely criticized for a first trip to Baghdad in mid-February.
Haider's trip to Baghdad was revealed Monday, after he had returned.
Haider brought home with him two Iraqi children suffering from cancer,
who are to be treated in Klagenfurt, his spokesman said.
In Iraq Tuesday, Radio Baghdad reported that Haider held talks on
bilateral political cooperation with Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister
Tareq Aziz at the weekend last weekend.
Haider expressed the "support of the Freedom Party for the Iraqi
people and their legitimate hopes for the lifting of the
embargo," said the Radio. The more than 11-year-old sanctions
continue despite Iraq’s withdrawal in 1991 from Kuwaiti territory it
invaded in 1990.
The Iraqi oil ministry, meanwhile, has announced that shipments of
Iraqi oil will start from Thursday following Baghdad's decision to
resume crude exports after a month-long suspension, the oil ministry
said.
"Iraqi
oil will be loaded on tankers as of Thursday, May 9," a ministry
official said, quoted by the official INA news agency on Wednesday.
"Tankers will start arriving at Iraqi ports to be loaded with
crude in keeping with Iraq's decision to resume exports," the
official said.
Iraq began pumping crude again on Wednesday to the two terminals
through which U.N.-supervised shipments pass on the Gulf and the
Mediterranean, the official added.
The Iraqi cabinet had decided during a weekly cabinet meeting Sunday,
May 5, chaired by President Saddam Hussein, to resume exports which
were halted April 8 in retaliation for Israel's deadly offensive
against the Palestinians and continued U.S. support for the Jewish
state.
The decision followed the failure of other Arab oil producers to join
the embargo.
Iraq exports around two million barrels of oil a day under a
U.N.-supervised oil-for-food program introduced to alleviate the
suffering of the population from 11-year-old crippling sanctions.
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