PRESS BRIEFING BY CHAIRMAN OF IRAQ SANCTIONS COMMITTEE

18 June 1996

Press Briefing

19960618 FOR INFORMATION OF UNITED NATIONS SECRETARIAT ONLY

In view of the urgent need for humanitarian aid to Iraq, the Security Council Committee established to monitor the sanctions against Iraq was working to conclude deliberations on draft expedited procedures to implement resolution 986 (1995), Committee Chairman Tono Eitel (Germany) told correspondents at a Headquarters briefing yesterday afternoon.

By Council resolution 986 (1995), the Council authorized States to permit the import of up to $1 billion in Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products every 90 days to meet the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people and requested the Committee to develop expedited procedures to implement the resolution. Issues relating to the procedures needed careful study in order to avoid repercussions, Mr. Eitel said. Decisions on several important aspects had not been reached by the Committee's working group of experts. The experts were guided by instructions from their governments. He hoped they received their instructions quickly and in a way which would allow the Committee to agree.

Mr. Eitel said he would leave for Germany today, 18 June, to meet with the Secretary-General. He hoped that when he returned at the end of the week, the experts would have finalized their drafting efforts and be ready to adopt the necessary expedited procedures next week.

Mr. Eitel said the Committee had not gone into the details of the draft expedited procedures and the issue would not be discussed in the Committee unless the experts were unable to make progress.

A correspondent asked if approval of the oil contracts remained the most divisive issue regarding the acceptance of the expedited procedures. Mr. Eitel responded that there was a question of who might finally approve those contracts -- people who were nominated by the Secretariat or by the Committee. It was not the only important question, but if it were solved, the solutions to many other smaller problems would fall into place.

Was there any problem in setting up an escrow account? a correspondent asked. There might have been, Mr. Eitel said, but it was not a question that was discussed in the Committee which had only dealt with generalities.

Replying to another question, he said that it was his impression that two thirds of the expert work had been done. In part, that work concerned the oil contracts and other questions. He did not want to go into any detail because those questions were still in the hands of the experts.

Sanctions Committee Press Briefing - 2 - 18 June 1996

Asked when he expected the United States compromise on the oil contract proposals to be given to him, he said he had no idea as to when to expect anything from any government. However, he hoped that by his return all the concerned governments would have given the necessary and compatible instructions.

Did any of the decisions depend on Iraq submitting its distribution plan? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eitel replied that while it did not affect the problem under discussion, the Iraqi distribution plan was part of the implementation of the memorandum of understanding.

What was the latest information on when the distribution plan would be submitted to the Secretariat? a correspondent asked. Mr. Eitel said he had no specific information; he would assume that it would come soon.

Were the talks being held on the presumption that there would be a comprehensive peace in the Middle East in the next five years? Mr. Eitel said that the Sanctions Committee knew it would not be in existence for eternity. The Committee would work as long as there were sanctions, which it hoped would be lifted eventually.

Asked if the Committee had discussed the departure of the United Nations disarmament monitors from Iraq over the weekend, Mr. Eitel said no. The two problems -- expedited procedures and disarmament -- were separate, and he was not aware that anyone in the Council was trying to link them.

In response to a question about when he expected the expedited procedures to go into operation, he said it depended on the 15 member States of the Committee. Some governments had a clearer idea than others of what they wanted, but all shared the sense of urgency, in view of the desperate need for humanitarian aid. He doubted that the deliberations would continue for a long time.

Did the Council have an objective assessment of the needs in Iraq? Mr. Eitel replied that every time the Committee met, it received and discussed a short compilation of figures from the Permanent Mission of Iraq. The figures cited for the month of March were "very bad" and, although they were not ascertained by others, there was a general consensus that the Committee should conclude its work quickly.

Mr. Eitel outlined other items discussed by the Committee, including a request for information from Switzerland regarding the escrow account controlled by the Committee and its subaccount; a question from the Food and Agriculture Organization concerning the use of spare parts for helicopters to be used in pest control; and a letter from Kuwait regarding tankers sunk in Kuwaiti waters.

Asked how much money was in the escrow account, Mr. Eitel said he did not know.

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