Disarmament Diplomacy

Issue No. 57, May 2001

News Review

US-UK To Propose Lifting of Civilian Sanctions Against Iraq

On May 16, Britain announced it would be submitting a Security Council resolution calling for an end to sanctions prohibiting the export of civilian goods to Iraq. Although details were sketchy, the proposal, drawn up with the strong input and support of the United States, would retain sanctions on military imports and strengthen UN control of revenues generated by Iraqi oil exports. In addition, monitoring of Iraq's borders, to detect smuggling of both military goods into and oil out of the country, would be strengthened by measures reportedly unlikely to be set out explicitly in the resolution. A full and final lifting of sanctions would only take place following the completion of disarmament investigations by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), currently barred by Iraq from entering the country.

On May 16, US State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher summarised Washington's view of the emerging plan: "The goal of this process is to control effectively Iraq's ability to buy weapons, to control Iraq's ability to threaten its neighbours...with weapons of mass destruction. So, on the one hand, you will have a set of controls that do that. On the other hand, we will smooth out the process and enable civilian goods to reach the Iraqi people." In the words of an unnamed British official (May 16), the revamped arrangements, if adopted, would allow Iraq to "meet all of its legitimate civilian needs from food to car parts." The official added: "In essence we are ending sanctions on ordinary imports to Iraq but replacing them with a tightly focussed set of controls on military and 'dual use' goods."

Both the UK and US claimed that the plan had received a positive response from the other permanent members of the Council, China, France and Russia. Iraq, however, quickly made plain its determination to oppose any plan other than a complete and unconditional lifting of the entire embargo, insisting that it has fulfilling all the disarmament obligations placed upon it after the Gulf War. According to an editorial in the official government newspaper Al-Qadissiya on May 17; "Iraq will reject any resolution that America hopes to issue under a 'British draft resolution' or 'smart sanctions' [proposal]... [This is a] political game which aims at tightening the 11 year old unjust embargo on Iraq."

Speaking on May 14, two days before news of the British plan broke, US Secretary of State Colin Powell summarised his ongoing efforts to draw up a 'smart sanctions' regime: "I am having a bit of success, I think, with members of the United Nations and with nations in the region in restructuring [the sanctions]...to go directly at weapons of mass destruction so that the Iraqi regime can not blame the United States for hurting Iraqi civilians. The danger in the region is the Iraqi regime [which] continues to experiment with such weapons... And the United Nations cannot be ignored in this regard. We must have compliance with our resolutions, and hopefully we can bring that coalition back together again to insist that that is the case..." Powell added that a change of regime in Iraq remains a key US objective: "[W]e all believe...that the Iraqi people would be better off with a different regime. And as part of our policy review, we are not only looking at the arms control regime, we are looking...at regime change. How can we help the Iraqi people acquire a better system of government and leaders more committed to peace and the betterment of their people, rather that developing weapons of mass destruction."

Powell also confirmed that the US was reviewing its policy with regard to the 'no-fly zones' in the north and south of Iraq, reportedly out of concern at enhanced Iraqi anti-aircraft capability. The zones are jointly patrolled by US and UK planes, and periodically involve bombing and missile attacks against Iraqi anti-aircraft sites. On May 9, an unnamed pentagon official told Reuters: "It has become pretty obvious that Saddam Hussein wants to shoot down a coalition aircraft and attempts to do so are increasing... Either you keep bombing air defence sites tit-for-tat and take chances of losing a pilot in the whole process, or [you] perhaps make some changes..."

On May 11, Iraq's Ambassador to the UN, Mohammed Douri, wrote to Secretary-General Kofi Annan confirming a report in the New York Times on April 29 that Baghdad had sought to develop a radiological weapon, designed to cause widespread radioactive contamination. The development programme was started in the mid-1980s for use against Iran, with a number of devices apparently tested in 1987. However, according to the Ambassador, the project was "abandoned...on the grounds that it was not efficacious and would cause soil contamination that...would be difficult to clean up after the expulsion of the invaders." Earlier (April 30), US State Department spokesperson Philip Reeker commented: "We agree with the [New York Times] article's assessment that Iraq never successfully developed a radiological device. UN inspectors largely destroyed Iraq's nuclear infrastructure intended to support a weapons programme. But, as we have also discussed, Iraq continued efforts to acquire weapons of mass destruction, and that is our primary reason that we insist on strong controls... I think it goes without saying...that if Iraq wants to make clear that its weapons of mass destruction activity has ceased, it needs to cooperate fully with those [UNMOVIC] inspections and with the international community."

Reports: Document reveals 1987 bomb test by Iraq, New York Times, April 29; Transcript - excerpts, State Dept on Iraq, Peres visit to US, US State Department (Washington File), April 30; US mulls fewer 'no-fly' patrols in Iraq, Reuters, May 9; Iraq denies making, testing radiation bomb, Reuters, May 11; Iraq worked on radiation bomb to use against Iran, Washington post, May 12; Transcript - Secretary of State Powell's interview on CNN May 14, 2001, US State Department (Washington File), May 14; Changes likely for Iraq's 'no-fly' zones, ABC News, May 16; UN gearing up for easing Iraqi sanctions, Reuters, May 16; British, US move toward easing Iraqi sanctions, Reuters, May 16; Britain proposes Iraq sanctions lift, Associated Press, May 16; Brits seek to ease Iraq sanctions, Associated Press, May 17; Iraq to reject plan on 'smart' sanctions - press, Reuters, May 17.