Organisation of the Islamic Conference calls for no military action against Iraq
Iraq, Politics, 11/12/1997

For the ninth time in ten days Iraq turned away UN weapons inspection teams that included American members. The Iraqis continued to bar the inspectors despite a Security Council vote to be held today on a US - Britain sponsored draft resolution that would impose a travel ban on Iraqi officials who obstruct weapons inspections, condemn the Iraqi demand that US inspectors leave the country, and delay reviews of economic sanctions until it is verified that Baghdad is cooperating with inspection teams.

Meanwhile Iraq released a list of eight demands of its own for the Security Council.

The Iraqi News Agency agency reported the demands as: that the UN Security Council lift the oil embargo; to act toward the total lifting of other embargoes; to establish an equilibrium in the composition of UNSCOM so that the number of experts and officials coming from the permanent member states of the Security Council are balanced, and that their prerogatives are balanced; the revision of sanctions to be carried out every two months as before; suspension of inspections of sites bearing on national security; the U-2 reconnaissance plane be replaced by another plane from a neutral country; the Security Council and its members of the council commit themselves to respecting the sovereignty of Iraq; to bring Iraq actively into discussions by the Security Council when it discusses the reports of UNSCOM, or any other question concerning Iraq.

The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) called upon the United States and the United Nations to exercise self-restraint over their row with Iraq and urged them to dismiss the military option which would lead to further complications.

Security Council members Russia, China and France have also said that they do not approve of military action against Iraq.

In a press release circulated in Jeddah, the OIC Secretary General Dr. Izzeddin Laraki called upon the concerned parties to settle the crisis through dialogue.

The OIC chief called for full implementation of all relevant UN Security Council resolutions to guarantee peace and security for all peoples of the region and to ease :the plight of the Iraqi people.:

He expressed deep anxiety over the mounting escalation between Iraq on the one hand and the US and UN on the other and concern that these developments jeopardize stability in the Gulf and threaten world peace and security.

The resolution to be voted on today includes no call for military action against Iraq.

Previous Stories:
  Iraq unfazed, Arab strategic rift with US exposed   (11/11/1997)
  U-2 flies in Iraq   (11/10/1997)
  Iraq defiant as confrontation day nears. US warns of war   (11/8/1997)

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