US Hits Roadblock In Lifting Iraqi Sanctions

[sassa]

U.S. Hits Roadblocks in Lifting Iraqi Sanctions

Fri May 16, 8:52 AM ET

Thalif Deen,Inter Press Service

UNITED NATIONS, May 15 (IPS) - The United States is hitting roadblocks in its attempts to have the U.N. Security Council adopt a new resolution aimed at legitimizing its military attack on Iraq and giving it full control of the massive oil resources of the war-devastated nation.

Several member states in the Council, including France, Russia and Germany, are expressing reservations over the eight-page resolution because it gives Washington far reaching powers in running the occupied country.

"We have a lot of questions for which we expect answers," Russian Ambassador Sergey Lavrov told reporters. "We will start negotiations once we get all the information we seek."

The talks are expected to begin next week, and U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte says he is hoping for a vote on the resolution by next Friday

German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger says his country wants to know how the reconstruction of Iraq is being organized. "We want it done in a transparent way in order to maintain credibility."

"The text of the resolution constitutes a starting point," French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin told reporters Monday. "But there's still a long way to go."

Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram said that Council members have sought clarifications "on a whole gamut of issues," including the future of Iraq, the powers of the proposed civilian authority in Baghdad, how the oil revenues would be administered, and most important of all, the role of the United Nations.

Virtually every one of the 191 U.N. member states--including the United States and Britain--says it wants the United Nations to play a "vital role" in post-war Iraq.

But that adjective, which has been kicked around for weeks, is "irrelevant," says U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard, because no one has so far provided a meaningful definition.

The United States has refused to spell out any significant U.N. role in Iraq for the simple reason it does not want the United Nations for any of the three key tasks in post-war Iraq: reconstruction, peacekeeping and civil administration.

Washington has also drawn angry reactions from Iraq's debtors, including Russia and France, who, under the proposed changes, would not be able to recover billions owed them--mostly for military purchases--from Iraqi oil revenues.

The resolution, which is jointly co-sponsored by the United States, Britain and Spain, calls for the lifting of the 12-year-old U.N. sanctions on Iraq and gives Washington the authority to spend and manage Iraq's oil revenues, which are currently in the hands of the United Nations.

The proposed "Iraqi Interim Authority," consisting largely of Iraqi expatriates handpicked by Washington, would only have a consultative role on oil revenues.

Time Magazine reported last week that post-war Iraq is capable of producing about 12 million barrels of oil per day, easily making it the world's number one oil supplier.

Fadhil Chalabi, executive director of the London-based Centre for Global Energy Studies, says the average cost of producing a barrel of oil out of the ground in Iraq is less than a dollar, compared with 10 dollars in the United States and 2.50 dollars in Saudi Arabia.

The U.N.'s oil-for-food programme, which permitted oil revenues to be used to buy food, medicine and relief supplies for the sanction-battered Iraqis, would be terminated under the U.S. plan.

That move would also deprive the United Nations of the authority it has had since 1996 to purchase, manage and distribute humanitarian supplies in the country. That authority would be transferred to the United States.

The resolution also calls for the creation of an Iraqi Assistance Fund presided over by an international advisory board, including representatives of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, to decide how the money will be spent on humanitarian assistance.

The latest resolution would be adopted if it received nine positive votes and no vetoes. The five countries holding veto powers are the United States, Britain, France, China and Russia.

The two most prominent sceptics--France and Russia--have not said publicly if they will exercise their veto.

Britain's Secretary for International Development, Clare Short, who resigned from her cabinet post early this week protesting London's support for the resolution, says Washington is strong-arming members of the Council.

The British government, she complained, "is supporting the United States in trying to bully the Security Council into a resolution that gives the (Anglo-American) coalition the power to establish an Iraqi government and control the use of oil for reconstruction with only a minor role for the United Nations."

She predicts that the resolution is unlikely to pass "but if it does, it will not create the best arrangements for the reconstruction of Iraq."

The proposal is "clearly an attempt by the United States to get the Security Council to give it the right to determine the disposition of Iraq's oil and its proceeds for the indefinite future, and certainly not for the benefit of the people of Iraq, as required by the 1907 Hague Regulations and the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949," says Francis Boyle, professor of law at the University of Illinois and author of Foundations of World Order.

"Just witness some of these sweetheart contracts that the U.S. government has already given out to the cronies of the U.S. administration," Boyle told IPS.

He likened the resolution to Japan trying to get the League of Nations to legitimise its illegal invasion of China so it could loot and plunder Manchuria, then set up a puppet state.

"Instead the League of Nations Assembly soundly condemned Japan and adopted the 1932 Stimson Doctrine, articulated by U.S. Secretary of State Henry L. Stimson, that the League of Nations would not recognize any fruits of an aggressive war," Boyle said.

Seven decades later, Washington is attempting to reverse its own Stimson Doctrine at the Security Council, he added.

According to previous Council resolutions, U.N. sanctions on Iraq can be lifted only when U.N. arms inspectors declare the country free of weapons of mass destruction. But the United States, which has refused to permit U.N. inspectors to return to Iraq, has been conducting its own search for weapons of mass destruction--with no luck.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said last month that "sanctions can only be removed when there is no suspicion (about the existence of weapons of mass destruction.")

[thrillfire]

arrrrggg... this is so retarded.. usa has no intentions of reconstructing iraq.. the only country it ever reconstructed was Japan... Of course they want to take the sole control over oil, I understand the mentallity, we said fuck you to UN and took over Iraq ourselves so now its our right to that oil! I think anyone could take over Iraq.. they had almost nothing to fight with...

So I'm taking now usa is going to say fuck you to UN again for wanting it to have a part in reconstructing it.

Its a very tricky situation because USA, England put down the money and troops for the take over and now UN wants to get on the bandwagon and possible profits... although France and mostly Russia are getting screwed since Iraq's debt is pretty big... and there is a possiblity that they aren't going to be payed off.... one of the reasons why they were originally opposed to the war to begin with...

This whole situation is messed up and its just getting more fucked up with each second.

[sassa]

i just think it's so hypocritical how the US was the one to impose these sanctions (through the UN) in the first place, and now they want them lifted??? i wonder why...it's so obvious, it's almost like a slap in the face to people...how long are they going to be allowed to do this shit? something has got to give, and people are going to attack this country severely if this keeps up.

[nycmuzik]

Originally posted by sassa

i just think it's so hypocritical how the US was the one to impose these sanctions (through the UN) in the first place, and now they want them lifted??? i wonder why...it's so obvious, it's almost like a slap in the face to people...how long are they going to be allowed to do this shit? something has got to give, and people are going to attack this country severely if this keeps up.

The sanctions were put in place to get Saddam to destroy his WMD program...They didnt work so we went in there and got rid of him....Now that he's gone, why shouldnt we lift them??

[thrillfire]

I'm just wondering for how much longer will the rest of the world take usa bullying and colonization... not good for foreign policy...

But i don't think bush ever cared for foreign policy to begin with since he doesn't even know geography...

also the only benifit i've seen so far that came out of this war for americans has been in GA the prices for gas has been dropped from 1.55 to 1.30, I heard in NJ its still the same.

But besides that I don't see any yet... maybe other people do, and I would like to hear what they are, the benifits for americans right at this moment?

[sassa]

Originally posted by nycmuzik

The sanctions were put in place to get Saddam to destroy his WMD program...They didnt work so we went in there and got rid of him....Now that he's gone, why shouldnt we lift them??

dude...you know what's going to happen if they are lifted...either way they are fucked...

1) the sanctions stay and iraq still suffers.

2) the sanctions get lifted, the us imposes an interim gov't, monopolizes on the oil, and iraq still suffers.

how lovely and quite convenient that everything just falls into place..the sanctions will most likely get lifted anyways, with france supporting it as well as other states....

very intelligent people indeed.

[nycmuzik]

Why exactly do you think that Iraq is going to suffer still and the US is going to monopolize it all??....France....Germany....Japan....Kuwait...Last time I checked we didnt monopolize any of the industries in those countries even though we saved them from opressive dictators/madmen....Like they say,"History repeats itself."...In this case its a good thing for the Iraqi's....

[thrillfire]

The people of Iraq were abused by Saddam and now they will be manipilated by uSA...

I mean look at the museum looting.. I know people here could care less about precious artifacts but it was their history and thanks to US their history has been robbed...

Yes. I'm aware that it was by their own people... but when they've got no jobs anymore, their however fucked up system has been destroyed so there are no more laws that they've known, no more security they are going to try to find ways to survive and get money!

Another thing, I am surrounded by army bases where I live and I've met a lot of people who have been fighting or have been in Iraq recently, they now dissagree with Bush's policies on Iraq after coming back.... there are a lot more vivid stories that come from their mouths but it would take too long to summerize them.

Let's hope that America will gain something out of this war because if it has to pay the consiquences for its actions we'll all be bitching and moaning. And we'll be worse off.

[cintron]

Originally posted by thrillfire

The people of Iraq were abused by Saddam and now they will be manipilated by uSA...

I mean look at the museum looting.. I know people here could care less about precious artifacts but it was their history and thanks to US their history has been robbed...

I have an idea: why don't we blame the United States for everything bad that happens in the world. Riots in Palestine? Blame America. Iraqi looters stealing and smashing artifacts from their own museums? Blame America [because hell, we obviously organized it]

Seriously what the fuck is wrong with people today. According to you, we deserve to be killed by terrorists because we're so domineering and evil, we should just lay down on the train tracks now as repentence for our sinful wrongdoing. Or maybe Bush should ride around in a big wooden carriage, scourging himself across his chest and crying out "Mea Culpa"

nigga please.

[thrillfire]

Originally posted by cintron

Seriously what the fuck is wrong with people today. According to you, we deserve to be killed by terrorists because we're so domineering and evil, we should just lay down on the train tracks now as repentence for our sinful wrongdoing. Or maybe Bush should ride around in a big wooden carriage, scourging himself across his chest and crying out "Mea Culpa"

nigga please.

I have no idea where you got that from!!!!

I guess I can't even mention a single event that shows usa in a bad light cause suddenly i support the terrorists and blame america for everything!

Talk about McCarthyism....

[cintron]

Originally posted by thrillfire

I have no idea where you got that from!!!!

I guess I can't even mention a single event that shows usa in a bad light cause suddenly i support the terrorists and blame america for everything!

Talk about McCarthyism....

It's not "McCarthyism". It's just that I see so many people laying blame to the US for so many of the ills in this world, as if we are soley responsible for their occurance...

and I say to those people "is there a time where you believe the US has done something GOOD?"

I mean, the Iraqi looting and riots - how are we responsible for that? And why is the US government taking so much heat for things such as that, meanwhile these people were conned for years on the Oil for food program, dissidents tortured and executed and yet suddenly we're the bad guy on the block when a few of them decide to rob a bank or shoot at some soldiers.

It just seems that people are so obsessed with finding fault in the things the government does - in EVERYTHING. Iraq sanctions? We're at fault. Palestinian uprising and chaos? We perpetrated that. Pakistan and Indian nuclear arms race? Our responsibility. North Korea being a nutcase, with NUKES? Again, something that we created.

I mean... where does it end? That's like saying we're responsible for everything and yet so many people want us to be responsible for nothing - to disconnect ourselves from the world and not get involved... and meanwhile many of these problems cropped up because we DIDN"T get involved or simply of their own accord, regardless of what our position was.

So now the new thing to complain about is Iraq. First, we were stealing oil, then we were going to take over the country and not give it back, then we were executing civilians and killing journalists, then we were accused of levelling the entire country... and now we're accused of not rebuilding the country completely in a few months and having a government already in place. It's like what the fuck? There's always something for people to complain about but goddammit, wars and reconstruction dont move on a 9-5 peace protestor's schedule.

It's not American Idol and there isn't gong to be X number of news specials, then the credits will roll and we'lll be finished.

I just find the impatience, the belligerance and the cynicism and negativity towards the government to really be something pointless and annoying. I can understand it on a few issues, and i'm not blaming you or anything... but when i see people like Sassa or Normalnoises posting things that are an opposition to EVERYTHING... it irks me. I'm not sure if Sassa is just playing devil's advocate to a lot of things or if both her and N.N are straight up haters about everything the US does. Either way, it sets me off when I think about my cousins fighting out there, the Kuwaiti and Iraqi civilians who were tied to bedframes and car batteries, executed, families murdered, the mass graves, the money Saddam used for 53 new palaces instead of reconstructing his economy and working to lift sanctions...

...but no, WE'RE the bad guy here because we called his bluff and did what everybody else was too squeamish to do: we acted.

Now all the deskbound warriors and armchair generals are shooting their mouths off about who we are and who we aren't and how they would have led us to a better, brighter world if they were in charge...

or better yet offering NO alternative solution, simply complaining because it overshadows the insignificance of their lives and gives them a false sense of purpose.

makes me want to fucking gag, I tell ya.

[sassa]

Originally posted by cintron

It's not "McCarthyism". It's just that I see so many people laying blame to the US for so many of the ills in this world, as if we are soley responsible for their occurance...

and I say to those people "is there a time where you believe the US has done something GOOD?"

I mean, the Iraqi looting and riots - how are we responsible for that? And why is the US government taking so much heat for things such as that, meanwhile these people were conned for years on the Oil for food program, dissidents tortured and executed and yet suddenly we're the bad guy on the block when a few of them decide to rob a bank or shoot at some soldiers.

It just seems that people are so obsessed with finding fault in the things the government does - in EVERYTHING. Iraq sanctions? We're at fault. Palestinian uprising and chaos? We perpetrated that. Pakistan and Indian nuclear arms race? Our responsibility. North Korea being a nutcase, with NUKES? Again, something that we created.

I mean... where does it end? That's like saying we're responsible for everything and yet so many people want us to be responsible for nothing - to disconnect ourselves from the world and not get involved... and meanwhile many of these problems cropped up because we DIDN"T get involved or simply of their own accord, regardless of what our position was.

So now the new thing to complain about is Iraq. First, we were stealing oil, then we were going to take over the country and not give it back, then we were executing civilians and killing journalists, then we were accused of levelling the entire country... and now we're accused of not rebuilding the country completely in a few months and having a government already in place. It's like what the fuck? There's always something for people to complain about but goddammit, wars and reconstruction dont move on a 9-5 peace protestor's schedule.

It's not American Idol and there isn't gong to be X number of news specials, then the credits will roll and we'lll be finished.

I just find the impatience, the belligerance and the cynicism and negativity towards the government to really be something pointless and annoying. I can understand it on a few issues, and i'm not blaming you or anything... but when i see people like Sassa or Normalnoises posting things that are an opposition to EVERYTHING... it irks me. I'm not sure if Sassa is just playing devil's advocate to a lot of things or if both her and N.N are straight up haters about everything the US does. Either way, it sets me off when I think about my cousins fighting out there, the Kuwaiti and Iraqi civilians who were tied to bedframes and car batteries, executed, families murdered, the mass graves, the money Saddam used for 53 new palaces instead of reconstructing his economy and working to lift sanctions...

...but no, WE'RE the bad guy here because we called his bluff and did what everybody else was too squeamish to do: we acted.

Now all the deskbound warriors and armchair generals are shooting their mouths off about who we are and who we aren't and how they would have led us to a better, brighter world if they were in charge...

or better yet offering NO alternative solution, simply complaining because it overshadows the insignificance of their lives and gives them a false sense of purpose.

makes me want to fucking gag, I tell ya.

please. just face it. their actions have resulted in a domino effect of a bunch of crap happening.....

i don't want to get into this because it's a headache, but your arguments really don't hold up. you caused the mess, clean it up. don't try to place blame elsewhere...

[cintron]

Originally posted by sassa

please. just face it. their actions have resulted in a domino effect of a bunch of crap happening.....

i don't want to get into this because it's a headache, but your arguments really don't hold up. you caused the mess, clean it up. don't try to place blame elsewhere...

my arguments don't hold up?

your STANDARDS dont hold up. I can't understand how everytime t here's a chance, you're nippng at the hells of the USG.

from the sound of it, unless we isolate ourselves from the world entirely and just replace the government we have with a Marxist-style one, you won't be happy.

[sassa]

Originally posted by cintron

my arguments don't hold up?

your STANDARDS dont hold up. I can't understand how everytime t here's a chance, you're nippng at the hells of the USG.

from the sound of it, unless we isolate ourselves from the world entirely and just replace the government we have with a Marxist-style one, you won't be happy.

damn...so much hate....

[thrillfire]

its no use...