Iraq reasserts threat to halt U.N. oil sales
Updated: Tue, May 29 3:42 AM EDT
DUBAI, May 29 (Reuters) - Iraq on Tuesday reinforced its
threat to halt United Nations-supervised oil sales if the U.N.
Security Council adopts the "smart sanctions" proposal of
Britain and the United States.
"There is no forecasting in this. We are not bluffing," an
Iraqi source told Reuters.
"Our position has been made very clear. If the renewal (of
the U.N. oil sales deal) is carried out as normal -- with no
extra conditions -- Iraq will continue pumping."
He declined to comment on whether Baghdad would keep exports
rolling if the U.N. were to extend the current ninth phase of
the six-month programme for a short period to allow
deliberations to continue.
Washington's aim is to get the resolution adopted before the
June 3 expiry of this tranche of the U.N. oil sales deal.
The scheme, which regulates sales from and goods going to
Baghdad, was meant to ease the impact of sanctions imposed when
Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.
But with two permanent members of the Security Council,
Russia and China, balking -- an extension of the current phase
looks likely.
Iraq objects strenuously to attempts by London and
Washington to connect elements of the oil-for-food deal with
their smart sanctions proposal, sources in the region said.
"We have taken this new stand because the United States and
Britain are connecting a normal, technical extension of the
(oil-for-food) memorandum of understanding (MOU) with new
conditions," the Iraqi source said.
The Anglo-American proposal seeks to ease restrictions on
civilian imports while cracking down on Iraq's oil smuggling
operation.
While most Iraqi oil exports go through the U.N. programme,
industry sources say Baghdad has been smuggling up to 250,000
barrels per day to Turkey and Syria and about 100,000 bpd to
Jordan.
Iraq has vowed to sever all trade ties, including oil sales,
with any country that implemented proposed smart sanctions.
If a resolution is passed further down the road, Iraq may
continue to export provided there is no direct linkage with the
oil-for-food scheme, sources in the region said.
"If the resolution is not connected to the MOU, Iraq could
ignore what it does not like and keep pumping," an analyst in
the Iraqi capital said. "Baghdad didn't stop producing when the
U.N. passed resolution 1284."
Iraq rejected that resolution, passed in December 1999,
which holds out the prospect of relaxed sanctions if Iraq
cooperates with a new weapons-inspection regime.