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This is an interesting line Iraq is taking: ========================================== FOCUS - Iraq blasts increase in oil-for-food By Hassan Hafidh BAGHDAD, Feb 3 (Reuters) - Iraq criticised on Tuesday a United Nations proposal to increase oil sales under its oil-for- food deal with the world body, saying the move aimed at stealing ``half of Iraq's oil wealth.'' A spokesman for the Iraqi Culture and Information Ministry said the increase also aimed at weakening Iraqi efforts to lift U.N. trade sanctions imposed for Baghdad's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan has proposed that Iraq be allowed to increase its oil sales to $5.2 billion from $2 billion over the next six months to avoid a humanitarian disaster. ``Apart from the good intention of Mr Annan, the recommendation ... stems from American and perhaps British intentions aiming at stealing more than 50 percent of Iraq's oil resources,'' the unidentified spokesman said in a statement carried by the Iraqi News Agency INA. U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Iraq Denis Halliday told Reuters on Tuesday even if Baghdad approved the increase in its oil sales it would take time to alleviate suffering of Iraqis hard-hit by sanctions. The oil accord currently allows Iraq to export $2 billion worth of oil in exchange for food and medicine over a period of 180 days to relieve the impact on civilians of sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait. ``The increase in the total amount of the oil-for-food pact aims at weakening Iraq's call to lift the unjust embargo,'' the spokesman said. Under terms of the 1991 Gulf War ceasefire, sanctions will not be lifted until U.N. arms inspectors, who are at loggerheads with Baghdad over weapons inspections, testify that they have rid Iraq of all its weapons of mass destruction. The crisis between Iraq and the U.N. arms inspectors was sparked by Baghdad's refusal to allow them to inspect so-called ``presidential sites.'' The spokesman said Annan's proposal was ``a political action with bad intention (against Iraq) rather than good intention.'' He said ``Iraq is not begging anybody and purchases of food, medicines and other essentials (under the deal) ... are being paid by Iraqi money.'' The spokesman said the oil pact had not been implemented properly because of ``American interference.'' On Monday, Iraqi parliamentary deputies said any increase in the programme would mean nothing to Iraqis unless the United States stopped delaying approval of food and medical purchases. ``The important thing is not only increasing the amount (of the pact) but speeding up the process of approving contracts which are being blocked by America and Britain,'' Saad Qasim Hamoudi, head of the Arab and International Committee at the Iraqi parliament, told Reuters. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To be removed/added, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk, NOT the whole list. Archived at http://linux.clare.cam.ac.uk/~saw27/casi/discuss.html