US revising resolution to lift Iraq sanctions
( 2003-05-15 14:59 ) (7)

The United States, pushing for a U.N. vote on Iraq next week, said on Wednesday it would submit a "modified" resolution shortly in its quest to lift sanctions and control the country's oil revenues.

Diplomats said revisions in the text would center on the role of the United Nations in post-war Iraq as well as how the U.N.-run oil-for-food program would be phased out.

U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte, after council consultations, told reporters he expected to produce on Thursday "a modified text and attempt to take into account many of the comments that we have received."

"And then we expect sometime during the course of next week -- we haven't yet determined exactly when -- we would expect to put the resolution to a vote," Negroponte said.

But other envoys said they expected numerous changes, including cosmetic ones on what several diplomats called a badly written resolution, co-sponsored by Britain and Spain, that might delay a vote past next week.

Russia's U.N. ambassador Sergei Lavrov said that some of the answers to previous questions given by Negroponte in the council were most welcome but there were "quite a number" of points to be resolved before serious negotiations could start.

He said delegates welcomed U.S. readiness "to look into more detail into some of the technical things involving the United Nations in Iraq, including in the political process."

France and others are questioning the vague role given to the United Nations special envoy in the resolution while Russia appeared more concerned with provisions that allow the Bush administration to have almost total control over Iraq's oil revenues for reconstruction purposes.

Russia as well as Syria has outstanding contracts for civilian supplies ordered by Saddam Hussein's government. The United States has not guaranteed payment for them and wants all claims against Iraq suspended until a proper Iraqi government is recognized internationally, perhaps in several years.

German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger spelled out some of the objections and said the United States and Britain were asked 40 to 50 questions by various ambassadors.

"The important issues are how the political process is being organized," Pleuger told reporters. "The co-sponsors said that the United Nations should have a vital role. Now we have to add substance to this."

"The second point is how is economic reconstruction being organized," Pleuger said. "There, we would like to have this done in a transparent way. Transparency is key to the credibility of the reconstruction work in Iraq."

While some revisions will be made, Bush administration officials are counting on France, Russia and China, who have veto power, to refrain from another bruising confrontation with Washington.

In addition, U.S. officials believe these countries, along with Germany, are not backed by a majority in the 15-member council as they often were during the debate on the U.S. invasion of Iraq earlier this year.

Under the resolution, all sanctions imposed when Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990 would be lifted except for an arms embargo.

The U.S.-drafted text calls for oil monies, now under U.N. control, to be put into an Iraqi Assistance Fund and "disbursed at the direction" of the United States and Britain in consultation with an Iraqi interim government.

The fund would be an international advisory board but it appears to have few duties outside of appointing accountants to audit the way the money is spent.