ACCESSION NUMBER:00000

FILE ID:97091204.NNE

DATE:09/12/97

TITLE:12-09-97  SECURITY COUNCIL ADJUSTS IRAQI OIL SALES TO HELP AID PROGRAM



TEXT:

(Richardson: Exception forestalls unnecessary suffering by civilians)

(550)

By Judy Aita

USIA United Nations Correspondent



United Nations -- Acting to prevent unnecessary hardship for Iraqi

civilians, the Security Council September 12 adjusted the time limits

for Baghdad's oil sales under the closely U.N.-supervised oil-for-food

program.



The resolution, which was referred to by many council members as a

"technical fix," was necessitated by the Iraqi regime's decision not

to sell oil during the first months of the 90-day period under which

it is allowed to sell about $1,000 million in oil to buy food,

medicines and other humanitarian supplies for needy Iraqi civilians.



"Not for the first time, the Government of Iraq has defied the clear

conditions of a U.N. resolution and made a callous decision to put at

risk the well-being of its people in order to seek to score propaganda

points," U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson said.



"The Iraqi Government, by refusing to sell oil, is using the Iraqi

people as a pawn to pursue political ends at odds with those of the

international community. This resolution tells the Iraqi Government

that such behavior is unacceptable, and it tells the Iraqi people that

we care about them and support them," Richardson said.



The resolution extends the first oil-sale period of 90 days to 120

days -- until October 4 -- to provide extra time for Iraq to sell the

first $1,000 million worth of oil and shortens the second time-period,

so that the December end date over the 180-day span of the oil sale

remains the same. Thus, Iraq will be able to sell the same amount --

$2,000 million -- of oil by December provided for in the council's

oil-for-food resolution.



It passed by a vote of 14 to 0 with Russia abstaining.



(The oil-for-food resolution -- number 1111 -- allows Iraq to sell

$1,000 million worth of oil each 90 days for two consecutive 90-day

periods.)



"The Government of Iraq bears sole culpability for the situation that

necessitated this resolution today, and the council has recognized

this," the U.S. ambassador said.



"What the council has done today is a one-time exception intended

solely to prevent unnecessary suffering among the people of Iraq,"

Richardson said.



"Our action is the right and responsible thing to do. We acted out of

overriding humanitarian concern for the welfare of the Iraqi people

who would have paid the price for the unexcusable delays in delivery

of humanitarian goods that would have resulted from Baghdad's refusal

to sell oil until the first 90-day period of (resolution) 1111 had

almost expired," said Richardson who is president of the council for

the month of September.



In a written report to the council earlier this month, Secretary

General Kofi Annan warned that because of Iraq's delay in selling oil,

"the total revenue generated for the first 90-day period will be about

$500 million below the 90-day objective" of $1,000 million if current

prices remain unchanged.



Although Iraq was allowed to sell oil beginning June 8, 1997, it did

not do so until August 13.

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