Security Council approves interim arrangements, UN role in Iraq, lifts sanctions
Iraq-UN, Politics, 5/23/2003

The United Nations Security Council today adopted a new resolution on Iraq granting wide interim governing powers to the United States and its coalition partners, including a role for a UN Special Representative working with this provisional authority, and lifting sanctions imposed almost 13 years ago following the invasion of Kuwait.

The resolution, co-sponsored by the US, United Kingdom and Spain, also allows for full resumption of oil sales in order to restore economic activity for reconstruction, sets up a government infrastructure under the new US-controlled Authority, and calls on UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to appoint a Special Representative.

Its adoption, by 14 votes to 0, with Syria not participating.

Today's resolution includes among the UN Special Representative's duties "working intensively with the Authority, the people of Iraq, and others concerned to advance efforts to restore and establish national and local institutions for representative governance, including by working together to facilitate a process leading to an internationally recognized, representative government of Iraq."

Annan is also to appoint a representative to an International Advisory and Monitoring Board which will audit a Development Fund for Iraq, a trust fund into which oil and other revenues will be paid, to be disbursed at the discretion of the provisional Authority for humanitarian and economic reconstruction and other costs.

No specific time limit is imposed on the Authority and its concomitant arrangements other than that they will continue until an "internationally recognized, representative [Iraqi] government" has been established to succeed the Authority.

The text also allows for a Council review in 12 months time in answer to demands by some members that there should be a new vote after a year. The new clause does not call for a new vote but states: "[the Council] decides to review the implementation of this resolution within twelve months of adoption and to consider further steps that might be necessary."

On the issue of weapons inspections, the Council underlined its intention "to revisit the mandates of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)."

In addition, the resolution extends for another six months Annan's authority to run the UN Oil-for-Food program, under which Baghdad was allowed to use oil sales to buy the food and humanitarian supplies on which 60 per cent of Iraqis depended as their sole source of sustenance, before finally terminating it.

The extension allows the Secretary-General to prioritize shipments for billions of dollars of already signed contracts in the humanitarian pipeline before handing all remaining activities of the program to the provisional Authority.

The Executive Director of the Oil-for-Food program, Benon Sevan, said "Iraq is blessed with natural and human resources, not the least of those being oil and a well-educated and extraordinarily resilient population and an extremely competent cadre of industrial managers and experts capable of driving the economy forward," he said in a statement released late Thursday afternoon.

Previous Stories:
  Bremer: national conference in July, before interim authority;Iraqi soldiers demonstrate; US businessman: war was for oil   (5/22/2003)
  Iraqi interim administration to draw constitution; elections in two years, occupation will deliver authority only to an elected government   (5/21/2003)
  Occupation abrogates Iraqi intelligence: the media, interior and defense employees sacked   (5/21/2003)
  Atomic Energy wants to investigate theft claims in Iraqi facilities   (5/7/2003)
  Annan said UN inspectors should go back   (4/24/2003)
  Blix makes case for return of UN weapons inspectors to Iraq   (4/23/2003)

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