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Tony Blair has said, "The whole world should know that we have allowed Saddam to sell oil to buy as much food and medicine for the Iraqi people as is necessary. He could have fed and cared for his people but he has chosen not to." My understanding is that this is misleading for a number of reasons: 1) Iraq is unable to produce as much oil as it is permitted to under oil-for-food. This is because of a) low world oil prices; b) damage to oil infrastructure caused by Allied bombing over the last eight years; and c) sanctions which hinder the repair of oil installations. 2) It is debateable whether the oil-for-food programme does generate sufficient cash, after UN and reparations deductions, even for adequate food and medicine for the Iraqi people. 3) Many medicines have been barred from import to Iraq under spurious 'dual use' regulations. 4) Food and medicine are only half the story. Essential infrastructure such as clean water supplies, sewerage systems, electricity for refrigeration, etc, are as important in preventing the main killer of the sanctions regime - malnutrition. This infrastructure has been badly damaged by Allied bombing and its repair is hampered by sanctions and the resultant collapse of the Iraqi economy. I would be grateful for any comments on the above points, especially regarding their accuracy, any documentary sources which confirm or contradict them, and any points which I have overlooked. Has anyone else attempted a rebuttal of this specific statement by the Prime Minister, and have you had any response from him? (Anne Campbell, MP for Cambridge, quotes this statement from the PM in defending her defence of UK Government policy.) Regards ed genochio -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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