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> Did I just read correctly in the Times that Britain is now in favour of > lifting the oil embargo? Wow; yes, though. Today's Times reports that Britain may be prepared to support France's proposal to replace the $5.2 billion cap on oil sales (every six months) with an unlimited cap. There will be bargaining over this deal in the UN. The Times goes on to report that, as Iraq is incapable of exporting even $5.2 billion every six months, the practical effect of this new cap would be small. They comment that the political impact would be large, though, allowing Britain to claim that it was no longer harming Iraqis. In effect, the Sanctions Committee (which needs to approve all proposed imports) could still deny import applications, leaving the situation no better than before. The Sanctions Committee is composed of the members of the Security Council. I would encourage people to write to the FCO (cc to their MPs) expressing their support for such a proposal, their consciousness, "of the threat that all weapons of mass destruction pose to peace and security in the area and of the need to work towards the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of such weapons" (UN SCR 687, which established Unscom, 3/4/1991) and their hope that the Sanctions Committee will behave with the interests of the Iraqi people foremost in mind. Thank them but also express this caution. Colin Rowat King's College Cambridge CB2 1ST tel: +44 (0)468 056 984 England fax: +44 (0)1223 335 219 -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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