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Re: [casi] European Parliament resolution on Iraq



HI Seb &all,
In Arabic there is a proverb says, the worst disaster is that makes you
laugh. So, really I laughed when I red the following "and paragraph 18: adds
that such relief should also be extended to various other groups
including "victims of terrorism" (of any kind!?)"
Yet, Iraq had paid to the terrorists and may be it is time to pay the
victims. For eight years, Iraq had paid every member worked in UNSCOM
1000-3000$ per day. Iraq paid and still for every bullet, bomb and missile
used by US, Britain and other allied troops since the 1991 aggression until
the daily aggression against northern and southern of Iraq. Iraq , through
Oil fort Food or as I understand it Oil for Compensation and under the SC
conditions paid every part entered the war against Iraq.
Taking in the consideration that European Parliament did not deal with the
Sanctions as an act of terrorism so, all the victims of blockade are not
victims of terrorism, so, I ask this Parliament providing a list of the
victims!!!!!!!
 In UN reports, we read that the Iraqi government did and does the best in
distribution of Oil for Food items. So the following quotation  " notes that
the "oil for food" programme has been effective only in the three governates
of north Iraq, where it has been directly managed by the United Nations;
thereby concluding that the lack of effective implementation elsewhere in
Iraq and the consequential shortages of food and medical supplies have been
largely the responsibility of the Iraqi government;"is untrue. UN and SC
know that 5% from the oil revenue is allocated to these three governates
while their population is less than 3% from the whole Iraqi population!!
 As an Iraqi, I know that non-of the international forums are ready to see
and tell the truth. So, since April 2001 the mountain was pregnant and now
it gives birth to a mouse!
best regards
Nermin al-Mufti, Baghdad, Iraq




----- Original Message -----
From: "Seb Wills" <saw27@mrao.cam.ac.uk>
To: <casi-discuss@lists.casi.org.uk>
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 11:13 PM
Subject: [casi] European Parliament resolution on Iraq


>
> Yesterday, the European Parliament voted for a resolution on Iraq (see
> notebook" entry:
>
http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/OM-Europarl?PROG=PRESS-DAILYNB&L=EN&PUBREF=-
//EP//TEXT+PRESS-DAILYNB+DN-20020516-1+0+DOC+SGML+V0//EN&LEVEL=1&REFERER=X&N
AV=X#SECTION5
> )
>
> The resolution is based on a "Report on the situation in Iraq eleven years
> after the Gulf War" (2000/2329(INI)), by the Committee on Foreign Affairs,
> Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (Rapporteur: Baroness
> Emma Nicholson).
>
> The full text of report (document A5-0157/2002), including the resolution
> adopted is at
>
http://www2.europarl.eu.int/omk/OM-Europarl?PROG=REPORT&L=EN&PUBREF=-//EP//T
EXT+REPORT+A5-2002-0157+0+DOC+SGML+V0//EN&LEVEL=3&NAV=S
>
> On the whole it's quite disappointing with respect to sanctions, focusing
> almost exclusively on human rights violations by the regime. So, while it
> "urges the Commission to explore all the existing possibilities which
> allow for a more active EU policy in favour of the Iraqi population" (para
> 12), it turns out this is "in particular by means of assistance to
> displaced and uprooted people, rehabilitation operations and human
> rights".
>
> The report contains an explanatory statement which tends to summarise the
> sanctions in a rather biased way; for example after noting when sanctions
> were first imposed, it says "The Iraqi government used the sanctions to
> justify not importing necessary food and medicine. Consequently in 1991
> the UN Security Council offered an 'oil for food' programme".
>
> The parts of the resolution which do have most relevance to sanctions are
> paragraphs 14-18. Paragraph 14 calls for lifting "most restrictions on
> non-military and non-dual use items" (with some caveats). Paragraph 15
> uses better situation in northern governates as 'evidence' that Iraqi
> government is to blame for shortages in south. Paragraph 17 is an
> interesting one: it urges the UN to allocate part of the oil for food
> revenues to provide for the Iraqi refugee population, and paragraph 18
> adds that such relief should also be extended to various other groups
> including "victims of terrorism" (of any kind!?), and suggests using
> frozen Iraqi assets for the purpose. I've quote those five paragraphs in
> full at the end of this message.
>
> Also of relevence to the current situation is paragraph 7 in which it (The
> European Parliament):
>
>  "7.   unequivocally rejects any military action that is not covered by
>   United Nations resolutions;"
>
> Finally, I should mention that the Explanatory Statement attached to the
> resolution notes that during a public hearing held by the Committee on
> Foreign Affairs on 26 February 2001, "experts confirmed the perverse
> effects of the economic sanctions, particularly harmful to the less
> advantaged among the civilian population. Iraqi civilians had become
> hostages to their government that manipulated rationing and distribution
> of 'ration tickets' to sustain the system of oppression and terror."
>
> Paragraphs 14-18 appear below as promised.
>
> Best wishes,
>
> Seb
>
>
> <<BEGIN QUOTATION>>
>
> 14. urges the United Nations Security Council to lift with utmost
> urgency most restrictions on non-military and non dual-use trade and
> investments (generalised economic and trade sanctions), as long as it
> does not lead to an increase of military expenditure, while mantaining
> the arms embargo, in order to ameliorate the humanitarian crisis in
> basic needs; and to tighten controls on Iraq's ability to import
> weapons and weapons-related goods;
>
> 15.   notes that the "oil for food" programme has been effective only in
> the three governates of north Iraq, where it has been directly managed by
> the United Nations; thereby concluding that the lack of effective
> implementation elsewhere in Iraq and the consequential shortages of food
> and medical supplies have been largely the responsibility of the Iraqi
> government;
>
> 16.   insists, therefore, that the Iraqi government improves the
> submission of applications for contracts, facilitates the work of
> personnel of humanitarian NGOs, UN agencies and other international
> organisations in Iraq and increases its co-operation on the identification
> of minefields;
>
> 17.   urges the United Nations to make the decision to allocate part of
> the "oil for food" programme funds or find other funds to provide
> sustained and sufficient humanitarian relief to the 3 1/2 million Iraqi
> refugee population ; calls on the Gulf Cooperation Council to assist
> financially through the establishment of a special fund for UN
> administration;
>
> 18.   considers that such relief should also be extended to displaced
> persons, to victims of terrorism and biological and chemical attacks and
> to their families, as well as to the families of missing persons; notes
> that in these cases the assistance could also be financed by using the
> revenues of Iraq's frozen assets.
>
> <<<END QUOTATION>>>
>
>
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