Posted on 04/19/2003 1:08:33 AM PDT by FairOpinion
Russia is stepping up the pressure for a lifting of United Nations sanctions on Iraq, arguing that it has lost more than $30bn in business since the embargo was imposed 10 years ago.
In a recent letter to Kofi Annan, UN secretary general, Igor Ivanov, Russia's foreign minister, complained that the government was coming under increasing pressure from the "federal assembly, many social and political interests, and business and industrial circles . . .in favour of mitigating the limitations imposed on Russia by the sanctions in the field of its commercial and economic relations with Iraq."
The Russian letter underlines deepening divisions in the UN Security Council over Iraqi policy. Jacques Chirac, France's president, last week made clear his disapproval of the ongoing sanctions. "We have never been in breach of the UN sanctions, even though we consider this sanctions policy is dangerous, inhuman and inappropriate," he said.
The Russian and French positions are giving Iraq hope that the sanctions, if not lifted, will soon become meaningless. In an interview with the FT, Tariq Aziz, Iraq's deputy prime minister, said the Russian letter proved that Iraq's trading partners were growing increasingly impatient with the embargo.
"People are feeling that enough is enough and they are acting in order not only to be fair to Iraq but also to protect their own interests," he said. "Iraq's practically becoming more like Cuba vis a vis the US . . .everyone else is trading with Cuba, this is going to be the future of the matter."
Last December, the Security Council tried to maintain a semblance of unity by passing a new resolution calling on Iraq to allow the return of UN weapons inspectors and promising to suspend the sanctions once they verified that Baghdad had destroyed its key remaining weapons of mass destruction.
Now that a new inspection agency has been formed but Iraq is refusing to accept the resolution, Security Council splits on policy towards Iraq are becoming more apparent, with the US maintaining a hard line against concessions to Baghdad.
"People supported [resolution] 1284 as a way forward, there has not been much movement and people are getting iffy about 1284," one diplomat said. He added that once Iraq accepted the resolution, Russia and France likely would "get back on board".
The UK, which along with Russia, France, the US and China is one of the permanent members of the Security Council, is trying to salvage the resolution, of which it was a principal author. UK officials in New York have talked to several Arab leaders in the hope of rekindling dialogue with Iraq.
But Mr Aziz, who met six of his regional counterparts over the weekend, said that there had been no progress. "The foreign ministers who show goodwill don't have any power," Mr Aziz said, adding that he saw no prospect for negotiations until Washington showed some sign of changing its policy to overthrow Saddam Hussein, Iraq's president. Mr Aziz, who is in New York after attending the UN's millennium summit, said he had no intention of meeting Hans Blix, the head of the new UN weapons inspections agency.
Iraq and members of the Security Council for now seem to be in agreement on at least one substantive issue - to avoid any escalation of hostilities over the stalemate.
And now:
Russia against lifting sanctions April 17, 2003
RUSSIA will not support a US proposal to lift UN sanctions on Iraq if UN inspectors do not confirm the country has no weapons of mass destruction, a Russian foreign ministry official said.
"Regime change in Baghdad is not a condition for lifting economic sanctions on Iraq," the official told the Interfax news agency on condition of anonymity.
"There is a UN Security Council resolution for this, which clearly stipulates the disarmament of Iraq - something international inspectors must decide," he said, adding that Russia supported the return of UN inspectors.
US President George W Bush said yesterday he would soon propose a UN resolution ending the 12-year-old crippling economic sanctions, which put an embargo on the trade of Iraqi oil.
Russia - a fierce opponent to the US-led war that earlier cast doubt on US accusations that Iraq possessed biological, chemical or nuclear weapons - fears opening the floodgates of Iraqi oil could hurt its own economy, which is heavily reliant on oil exports.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,6301457%255E1702,00.html
They always weave and bob and play games. Oh, but that was then and this is now. Must think Americans are stupid.
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