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Colin's recent posting asked about 661 committee voting procedure, ie who can authorise a hold on a Iraqi import of food / medicine. This is a complex area, which I'm not sure I understand fully myself, but this is what I've read so far: The basic procedure was laid down in a decision of the 661 committee at its 36th meeting on 22/3/91. As far as I'm aware, this procedure still stands. The Committee determined: "The Committee decides upon a simple notification procedure for foodstuffs supplied to Iraq and a no-objection procedure for civilian and humanitarian imports (other than supplies intended strictly for medical purposes." Historical background: SCR661 stated that foodstuffs could only be imported by Iraq "in humanitarian circumstances". This was interpreted by members of the 661 committee very differently. The US & UK argued that since no-one had shown that there was a humanitarian crisis in Iraq, foodstuffs could not be imported at all, as there were no "humanitarian circumstances" to speak of. On these grounds, for example, the UK stopped a delivery of milk powder (Proceeding of Session, Cambridge International Documents Series on the Iraq-Kuwait conflict, vol II, p.810). This situation was only resolved with the famous report by Martti Ahtisaari on 20/3/91, on Iraq's forced decline into the pre-industrial age. A similar ICRC report also came to the attention of the Committee. On 22/3/91, the Committee determined that food and other civilian material could be imported into Iraq, on the above-mentioned "no-objections" procedure, ie any of the 15 members of the Committee could ask for a hold on the export. The distinction between foodstuffs and medical supplies comes from SCR661. The most important question is: how is it to be determined that a product is a foodstuff or for medical purposes, and not really a disguised Tomahawk missile? This is not quite answered in the decision of the Committee on 22/3/91, but I can only presume that it is on the same, no-objection procedure - again, any member of the Committee (ie. any member of the Security Council) can decide unilaterally that a substance that Iraq wishes to import is not only a foodstuff or medicine, and should be put on hold or rejected. So far this situation has not been put the test; the only countries issuing holds are the US, UK and (in former times, I believe) France - see earlier postings. But of course, the situation may change, and a particularly misanthropic member may appear on the 661 committee. Generally, the committee does have a "framework document" setting out its working procedure; as far as I can tell, it is changed by the committee itself (on the basis of unanimity) on a fairly frequent basis. I have not been able to get hold of a copy, but the early debates on the framework document (which do not reveal much) have been published - again in the Cambridge International Documents series (see earlier reference). Maybe Colin's contact would be able to supply us with the latest framework document? As a final note, it's interesting to compare the procedures of the 661 committee with the Compensation Committee. In the latter, there is no veto for any Committee member; a majority of 9 will see the payment go through. In other words, the money earnt through Iraqi oil sales goes much more easily to non-Iraqi claimants that it goes into purchasing goods to be imported into Iraq. The reference for the 22/3/91 decision of the Committee is: Weller, ed., Iraq and Kuwait: the Hostilities and their aftermath (Cambridge: Grotius Press, International Documents series), p.603. It is also reprinted in the note by the Secretary-General, S/22400. ---------------------------------------- Glen Rangwala Faculty of Social and Political Sciences Free School Lane Cambridge CB2 3RQ UK Tel: 44 (0)1223 334535 Fax (shared): 44 (0)1223 334550 Home tel: 44 (0)1223 462187 ---------------------------------------- -- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a discussion list run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq For removal from list, email soc-casi-discuss-request@lists.cam.ac.uk Full archive and list instructions are available from the CASI website: http://welcome.to/casi