Washington calls UN to lift sanctions on Iraq, asks for annual authorizations
Iraq-USA, Politics, 5/9/2003

The US yesterday asked the UN security council to recognize the American- British occupation of Iraq for one full year and to approve the founding of a fund where oil revenues in Iraq are deposited, and the sums to be spent at a decision by the occupation authorities and in consultation with a provisional Iraqi government which has not been formed yet and is still facing challenges and question marks concerning names and forces proposed to join it.

Meantime, two American soldiers were killed in two fire launching operations in Baghdad, while on British soldier was assassinated in a sniping operation in al-Basra.

Meantime, the British forces in al-Kout celebrated the memory of its killed soldiers in al-Kout in the first British invasion of Iraq in 1916 at the hands of the Iraqi resistance and the Ottoman forces.

The US ambassador at the UN expressed his hope that the new US draft law provides for lifting the sanctions imposed on Iraq to be adopted within 15 days. he added that the UN Security Council will be meeting today ( Friday) and "draft law on the situation in Iraq will be circulated." The American draft decision states to lift the sanctions imposed on Iraq with the exception of those related to the military field. It also states to permit Iraq to sell oil and put the revenues in a "an Iraqi Aid Fund" to be used for humanitarian aid and for rebuilding and the sums in the funds to be spent "under the administration of the authority ( the occupation forces ) in consultation with the Iraqi Interim government."

This new establishment will have a consultation council that each of the UN, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank has a seat in. The draft law (resolution) states to extend the "oil for food" program for four months but with giving "priority to civilian items" in the approved contracts, but it is not clear whether these contracts will cover those signed with Russia at a cost of US $ 1.6 billion.

The draft resolution also asks all countries to facilitate the secure return back of the Iraqi properties and antiquities which were looted from the Iraqi national Museum and the Iraqi national library in the days which followed the collapse of Saddam Hussein regime and bans trading these properties.

Meantime, the leader of the Kurdistani National Federation leader Jalal Talibani yesterday announced that the Iraqi leadership commission which is in charge of forming an interim government in Iraq approved to increase its members from five to seven.

Talibani added "we decided to expand the leading commission through adding two seats. One representative for al-Dawa ( call) party and the second is for Nasif Kamel al-Jadirji as a representative for the Sunni Arabs." Talibani also announced that other four parties approved to joint the organizational committee in charge of preparing for the national congress due to be held by the end of the current month which will form the new interim government. The four parties are al-Dawa party, the Iraqi Islamic party, the communist party and the Arab socialist movement.

The three leaders who were in the meeting in addition to Barazani and Talibani are the second official at the "higher council of the Islamic revolution" Abdul Aziz al-Hakim, the chairman of the Iraqi National Congress, Ahmed Jalabi, and the chairman of the national reconciliation movement, Eyad Allawi.

In conclusion of the meeting, leaders of the groups approved to cooperate with the American occupation forces in order to improve the security situation in the insecure parts of the country.

Shalabi said "we have agreed to set up a security committee for cooperation with the coalition forces to ensure more security measures for the Iraqi people." He added "we have also discussed arrangements to form a provisional government and choose a provisional national council." The participants in the meeting decided to include al-Dawa party into their council and a representative of the Arab Sunni who is Nasir al-Jadraji, son of Kamel al-Jadraji, the leader of the democratic national party which was formed in the 1940s and played a basic role in the political life of the country where the Baath party assumed authority in 1968.

Meantime, the US defense ministry said that the generals of more than 12 countries met yesterday in London to draw plans to form an international military settlement force for Iraq.

The British occupation forces celebrated yesterday the anniversary of the British forces who were killed 90 years ago buried at a cemetery in al-Kout city.

The neglected cemetery which included 420 remains, signified the defeat inflected by the Iraqis and the Ottomans against the British invasion troops during al-Kout fighting during which 23,000 British were wounded or killed, while some 10,000 troops were killed from the defenders.

The surrender of the British Empire forces which included units from India to the Ottoman forces on April 29th, 1916, destroyed the British dignity in the world, but the invasion campaign continued until the British occupied Iraq and controlled its oil wells.

Previous Stories:
  Iraq resolution to come soon   (5/8/2003)
  Ambassador Paul Bremer Named Presidential Envoy to Iraq   (5/7/2003)
  U.S. Officials Help Search for $1 Billion Missing from Iraqi Central Bank   (5/7/2003)
  The UN is a fundamentally flawed institution   (4/26/2003)
  The US against France; a defining moment for world politics or a wasted opportunity   (2/24/2003)

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