PRESS BRIEFING BY CHAIRMAN OF IRAQ SANCTIONS COMMITTEE

Press Briefing

PRESS BRIEFING BY CHAIRMAN OF IRAQ SANCTIONS COMMITTEE

At a Headquarters press briefing yesterday afternoon, Antonio Monteiro, Chairman of the Security Council Committee established by resolution 661 (1990) concerning the situation between Iraq and Kuwait, reviewed the subjects taken up by the Committee's 166th meeting, held earlier that day.

Mr. Monteiro said the Committee had met to discuss several important issues. The first was a request by Turkey regarding the repair of the Kirkuk- Yumurtalik pipeline. Turkey had asked that spare parts for the pipeline be stored closer to the area of operation in order to allow the pipeline to work more effectively. The Committee had already "generically approved" Turkey's request, but certain conditions regarding monitoring and storage had not been fully resolved until today. At the meeting, Mr. Monteiro had proposed to involve the Secretariat in the monitoring of the use of the spare parts. If the Secretariat indicates that it has the means to perform the monitoring duties, there would be a "definitive, positive answer" to the Turkish request next week.

Another issue discussed by the Committee was Jordan's request concerning the transport of pilgrims to Saudi Arabia, Mr. Monteiro said. The Committee decided to hold an expert-level meeting next week to resolve "the pilgrimage problem", which had been dealt with in the past. It was important for the Committee to arrive at a position that would facilitate the solution to similar cases in the future.

Syria had asked the Committee to explain why some of its contracts had been blocked or put on hold, Mr. Monteiro said. The Committee was able to clarify that a great number of those contracts would eventually be approved. Some of those contracts contained several products, of which one had been blocked by one or two delegations. It was now a question of requesting the products that would be exported to Iraq.

The Committee had not been able to agree on the request by the United Arab Emirates concerning a trade fair in Baghdad, Mr. Monteiro said. The Committee decided to look into that issue so it could formulate a position if similar requests were submitted in the future.

Mr. Monteiro said the Committee also discussed the recommendations included in its report pursuant to Council resolution 1143 (1997) (document S/1998/92), which would help to refine and clarify its working procedures. The Committee had agreed on a number of measures that would make a difference in addressing the basic problems and real needs of the Iraqi people.

A correspondent asked if Iraq had the capacity to pump enough oil to export petroleum products worth $5.2 billion in a six-month period, as suggested

Monteiro Briefing - 2 - 5 February 1998

by the Secretary-General's report (document S/1998/90). Mr. Monteiro said the Committee had addressed the problem of the pipeline immediately to ensure that it would soon be fully functioning. Even if all repairs were made, it was uncertain if Iraq would be able to export that amount of oil. That issue, however, would be addressed by the Security Council and not the Iraq Sanctions Committee.

Asked if a new six-month period would be created to allow Iraq to export a larger amount of oil, Mr. Monteiro said the Security Council was holding consultations on the Secretary-General's proposal.

Did the Security Council need a response from Iraq before it moved forward on the Secretary-General's proposals? a correspondent asked. Mr. Monteiro said the Council needed Iraq's cooperation. Some of the points raised in the proposal had been raised by the Iraqi authorities.

Asked if the United States opposed the proposal concerning the spare parts for the pipeline, Mr. Monteiro said the entire Committee, including the Americans, had agreed to the proposal.

Was there widespread support in the Committee for the Secretary-General's proposal to devote money for the repair of Iraq's infrastructure? a correspondent asked. Mr. Monteiro said the Committee had not discussed that issue.

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