Figure 1.--.
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Figure 1.--. |
As a result of Iraq's defeat in Desert Storm, Sadam agreed to dismantle its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD). He has clearly not done so. Sanctions impossed upon Iraq by the United Nations have stayed in place because of Sadam's continued work on WMD. The Iaqui economy has been crippled by those sanctions and the people of Iraq, including the children, have undeniably suffered. The question of course rises, who is responsible for that suffering. Is it the United Nations for imposing the embargoes because of Sadam's definace? Or is in Sadam for insisting on persuing WMD and siphoning off oil revenue to support WMD program. There is even evidence that Sadam has taken measures to intensify the sufferings of his people to garner international support. This appear to have incredibly included killing babies. President Bush and Prime Minister Blair insist that the 12 year history of attempting to get Sadam to fullfill his commitment has deonstrated tht he has no intention to do so. This has led to the third major international crisis with Iraq.
The effort to disarm Kuwait is inextricably liked to Sadam's unprovoked invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The United Nations Security Council on August 6, 1990, only 4 days after Sadam Hussein invaded Kuwait, passed Resolution 661, imposing a comprehensive system of sanctions on Iraq. The principal sanction of course was an embargo on Iraqi oil, the country primary source of income. Not only would Iraq not benefit by Kuwati oil, but he would be unable to even sell Iraqi oil. The Security Council also established a committee to monitor the systems. Sadam believed that these sanctions would be brief and relatively easy to deal with. Sadam was convinced that the Americans were still suffering from the experience in Vietnam and would never make the commiment needed to expel the Iraqui military. President George Bush and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, however, were determined to expel Sadam from Kuwait if, as they suspected, the sanctions did not work. The Alliance organized by President Bush gave Sadm months to withdraw from Kuwait. Finally the Security Council on n January 15, 1991 endorsed a U.S.-led coalition. The coalition after a devastating air war campaign, desimated the Iraqi Army and expelled the Iraqis in a 3-day ground campaign.
As a result of Iraq's defeat in Desert Storm, Sadam agreed to dismantle its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction (WMD). The ceasefire (R687) Iraq agreed to after the total defeat of their forces in Kuwait extended the U.N. sanctions by tying them to
Iraq ending its programs to build weapons of mass destruction (WMDs). This resolution
conditioned the lifting of sanctions on verifiable disarmament. The sanctions were to be lifted once Iraq was certified as free of WMDs.
Sadam's invasion of Iraq has severe repercussions on the Iraqi people. The American air campaign had damaged the country's infrastructure, including bridges and electrical generaring plants. Even more importantly, oil dominated the Iraqi economy. Without oil income, the country could not afford needed food and other imports. The United Nations by August 1991 recognized the dimensions of the developing humanitarian crisis. The U.N. called for limited oil sales to pay for 1) reparations (Iraqi forces had done emense damage in Kuwait), 2) the UN emergency presence, and 3) the humanitarian aid it organized. The United Nations established an escrow account beyond the control of the Iraqi government (R706 and R712). This was designed to ensure that oil revenue would be exclusively used for the three approved programs. Saddam rejected these U.N. resolutions, ignoring the needs o the Iraqi people. Sadam concluded that the international community would eventually tire of the effort to disarm him and he could regain complet control over the oil revenue. The Council then declared understandably that Iraq bore full responsibility for its humanitarian problems.
Sadam's confrontation with the United Nations continued for 4 years while the Iraqi people suffered. Iraqi, U.N. and intenational humanitarian organizations did their best to address the most urgent needs for food and medicine, but without oil revenue these groups were overealmed. Finally, the Security Council in April 1995 was able to reach agreement with an increasinly desperate Iraq. The Council resolution (R986) approved what has become known as the "Oil for Food" (OFF) program. Oil sales of $2 billion every 6 months were approved. This ceiling was higher than that proposed in 1991, but the resolution allotted a substantial amount of aid to Iraq's three northern Kurdish governorates (provinces). The U.N. controlled these provinces to protect them from the kinds of attacks that Saddam had ordered earlier, including the use of poison gas. Again, both Saddam and the U.N. assumed that this would be a short-lived program. Saddam was sure he could break the sanctions program. The U.N. assumed that Iraq would comply with its commitment to disarm so as to end the suffering that the Iraqi peoplw were endurung.
The U.N. took over a year to to start operating OFF. The program began December 1966. The U.N. created the Office of the Iraq Program (OIP), a entire new agency. The OIP was responsible for implementating the orders of the the Iraq Sanctions Committee. All contracts for himanitarian assistance (emergency food and supplies and needed infrastructure equipment) that the Iraqi Goivdernment submitted had to be approved by the U.N. Sanctions Committee. Each member country could place a 'hold' on any contract it considered to be of potential "dual use", meaning that the equipment had potential military applications. Not supringly, there were numrous doumented efforts by Iraq to order military hardware or divert 'dual use' goods from civilian to military purposes. The Security Council had created a list of items that were banned because they had obvious military potential (R1051). The U.S. Government saw the U.N. list as far too limited and began placing holds on many other contracts totaling billions of dollars. U.N. officials complained that large quantities of relief supplies were diverted from their intended recipients.
The Oil for Food was designed as an emergency program to provide humanitarian relief to the Iraqi people. The Security Council never designed it as a reconstruction plan. Undeniably the recovery of the Iraqi economy sector required repairs to the water system, electricity generation, and the telecommunications system. The key oil industry requires repairs and modernization. The Iraqi government. The U.S. Government and some other countries remained adament that Sadam should not regain control over the oil revenue
until he has completely complied with the obligation to end his WMD programs and destoy existing stockpiles.
The Council in February 1998 increased the oil sales cap to $5.3 billion per 6-month phase. The Council in 2001 further raised the oil sales cap to $8.2 billion and in 2002 removed the ceiling.
Sanctions impossed upon Iraq by the United Nations have stayed in place because of Sadam's continued work on WMD. Sadam has clearly not complied with the Iraqi obligation to disarm.
Kadir Hamzam played a central role in Saddam's nuclear bomb program. He was trained at MIT and then forced to return to Iraq when his father and family was threatened. Since his escape from Iraq, he has provided detailed information on Saddam's nuclear program. His personal account also provided insights as to why Iraqi scentists in 2003 were terrified about being question by U.N. weapons inspectors.
The Iaqui economy has been crippled by those sanctions and the people of Iraq, including the children, have undeniably suffered. Experts argue on the level of suffering of the Iraqi people. Here the debat is on th level and not on the fact that he Iraqi people have sufferd. Clearly they have. The Iraqi Governmentbhav reported large numbers of deaths. The United Naions and various NGO groups have described the conditions in Iraq. There is even evidence that Sadam has taken measures to intensify the sufferings of his people to garner international support. This appear to have incredibly included killing babies. A jounalist working in Aman, Jordon intervied an Iraqi refugee. He described how his wife gave birth to healthy twins. When he returned the next day he was told that they were dead. Sadam had apparently ordered that actual bodies were needed to demonstrate how U.N. sanctions were harming the Iraqi people. [PBS News Hour] The question of course rises, who is responsible for that suffering. Is it the United Nations for imposing the embargoes because of Sadam's definace? Or is in Sadam for insisting on persuing WMD and siphoning off oil revenue to support WMD program.
The extent of the humanitarian crisis in Iraq continued to fuel international support for changes in the sancions system. The United States and the United Kingdom developed a Goods Review List. This was an expanded list of dual use items. Iraqi ontract application for items not on the GRL would be automatically approved. The U.S. and U.K. in 2002 attempted to gain agrement on this arrangement to the other permanent five members of the Security Council (China, France, and Russia) by offering to remove the hold on over $5 billion in contracts. Many of these contracts were with companies from these three countries. The Security Council approved the GRL as the core innovation of a new mechanism for operating OFF (R1409). This gave responsibility for contract review to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the U.N. Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC). If these agencies detect GRL items they turn the contract over to Sanctions Committee for review.
President Bush and Prime Minister Blair insist that the 12 year history of attempting to get Sadam to fullfill his commitment has deonstrated tht he has no intention to do so. This has led to the third major international crisis with Iraq.
PBS News Hour, February 28, 2003.
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