Iraq: Oil-for-food a cover to prolong sanctions

Iraqi Minister of Trade Mohammed Mahdi Saleh stated after coming back from Paris that Iraq has not yet received equipment for the petroleum sector, according to the oil-for-food agreement.

In press statements, he said the agreement is used as a cover for prolonging the sanctions, by allowing those who want to keep the sanctions to say that Iraq has an outlet to fulfill some of the needs of the Iraqi people for food and medicine.

He also said that implementing the oil-for-food agreement was extremely difficult through the last two years in bringing medicines and foodstuffs to Iraq.

He said that in the second stage, the equipment agreed upon to be purchased and whose value is paid for has not yet been imported.