A chronology of sanctions on Iraq - 1997

15^th January: The first proceeds from the sale of oil are deposited in the UN controlled escrow account held at the Banque Nationale de Paris

23^rd January: The first application for export of humanitarian supplies is approved by the secretariat of the 661 Committee (Sanctions Committee)

14^th February: The first letters of credit for the supply of humanitarian goods are issued.

28^th February: Staffan de Mistura replaces Fulcheri as the Humanitarian Aid Co-ordinator.

(By the end of the first 90 day period the UN treasury had processed letters of credit to the value of $1.07 billion regarding 52.3 million barrels of oil. $625,596,347.69 was paid into the Iraq account. 32 independent inspection agents were in place in Iraq to confirm arrival of authorised good. Iraq submitted 222 applications to the Secretariat of the 661 Committee for the export of supplies to the country. 37 were forwarded to the Sanctions Committee for approval. Only 9 were approved.)

5^th March: New UN Secretary General Kofi Annan meets with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Said Al-Sahaf who reaffirms the Iraqi governments commitment to co-operate with the UN in the implementation of SCR 986 and the Memorandum of Understanding.

10^th March: Kofi Annan issues his statutory 90 day report.

290 applications from Iraq are submitted; of these 37 are forwarded to the Sanctions Committee.

15 are approved.

16^th March: Joining the many ‘Future Threat’ scenarios that the US are beginning to cite, David Albright, a one time team member of the IAEA that searched Iraq in 1991, asserts: ‘The nightmare of Iraq is that they will steal the [nuclear] material, and we’ll only know when the have the weapons.’

(Simons quotes several examples of ‘Future Threat’ rhetoric from this period. The use of the words ‘may be….probably….may have been….believe….could’ are endemic. Other observers also noted that such reports always seemed to co-incide with upcoming Security Council reviews of sanctions.

‘Iraq may be hiding up to 16 modified SCUD missile with chemical and biological warheads….Mr. Ekeus’ team believe between six and sixteen missiles are probably being concealed.’ – ‘The Independent’, March 23^rd ’97

‘…experts have warned that there is still a danger of Iraq rebuilding its’ biological capacity despite stringent controls….all it has to do is wait for the West to lose interest in the monitoring process.’ – ‘The Observer’, June 9^th ’96

‘…Ekeus has the task of judging when, if ever, Iraq is finally free of its’ weapons programmes.’ - ‘The Independent’, June 20^th ’96

‘A dump of chemical weapons may have been uncovered in Iraq according to an intelligence report.’ – ‘The Guardian’, February 28^th ’97

‘Saddam could start building SCUD missiles in a month.’ – ‘Sunday Times’, January 17^th ’97

‘Ekeus is happy to declare that little remained unknown about Baghdad’s weapons potential, but what was unknown could still cause devastating damage and casualties.’ – ‘The Observer’, April 13^th ’97

It is also worth repeating two other examples from newspapers who printed ‘information’ from unnamed sources.

‘Iraqis are congenital liars’ – ’The Observer', June 9^th ‘96

‘…thought Saddam could attempt to take Kuwait with a deft, surprise attack at night.’ – ‘Daily Telegraph’, January 30^th ‘97

The latter statement required an enormous leap of faith, especially given that US spy satellites were overhead 24 hours a day, and the administrative structure was essentially being run by the UN.)

17^th March: Iraq submits 324 applications. 56 are forwarded.

34 are approved.

20^th March: The first food procured under SCR 986 arrives in Iraq: 125.2 tons of chickpeas and vegetable ghee.

24^th March: Iraq submits 359 applications. 82 are forwarded.

57 are approved.

26^th March: The second shipment of food arrives in Iraq: 13,000 tons of rice.

Madeleine Albright addresses a symposium on Iraq at Georgetown University, USA.: ‘We do not agree with those nations who argue that if Iraq complies with its’ obligations concerning weapons of mass destruction, sanctions should be lifted.’

She indicates that dialogue with a successor regime may be possible, but does not specifically indicate any predicted end to the embargo.

The Pope reiterates his condemnation of sanctions by formally recognising Libya, itself under US sanctions since 1992

31^st March: Iraq submits 391 applications. 96 are forwarded.

62 are approved.

66,402 metric tonnes of wheat arrives.

2^nd April: Distribution of wheat flour begins.

3^rd April: 781.3 tons of soap and detergent powder arrive.

7^th April: Iraq submits 414 applications. 107 are forwarded.

77 are approved.

(During the period 3^rd March to 7^th April, Iraq submitted 2000 applications. The Sanctions Committee approved only 284 of them. The actual revenue raised in the first, and many of the subsequent six month periods, was, according to the UN itself approx. $1.3 billion. This figure, when broken down provided each Iraqi civilian with $2 worth of supplies per week in a country where the entire health and food distribution systems were in collapse.

On March 10^th Secretary General Annan had observed in his 90 day report: ‘The full ramifications…specifically the time lag between the initial flow of oil and the actual delivery of foodstuffs, are only now becoming clear. I have had strong concerns about the pace at which the provisions of SCR 986 are being implemented.’

He went on to criticise the inadequate resources allocated to the program: ‘The amount actually available for operational and administrative expenses has been very limited. Several agencies have used their own funds to meet these costs. It appears unlikely that all the humanitarian goods in the distribution plan will be delivered and distributed within the initial 180 days established by the resolution.’

He also noted than UN agencies in three Northern governerates had ‘…raised concerns about the constraints caused by the limited time frame of the resolution for the proper implementation of their activities.’

Simons makes the point that the US, with UN authority, capable of organising a highly efficient military campaign, and orchestrate a years long embargo, was seemingly unable to organise an efficient system of delivering food to starving people.)

9^th April: An Iraqi plane carrying 104 Haj pilgrims to Mecca in Saudi Arabia defies the Southern ‘No Fly’ zone. It is given safe escort by two Saudi fighters. Washington UN envoy Bill Richardson denounces the ‘…outright violation of sanctions…’ and urges the Security Council to condemn the flight.

21^st – 23^rd April: The US blocks 40 contracts for the supply of medical equipment that are on the World Health Organisation’s ‘Priority List’

24^th April: The US blocks seven humanitarian food contracts, including rice, beans and cooking oil, to display its’ displeasure at Iraqi helicopters flying through the Southern ‘No Fly’ zone ferrying Haj pilgrims to Mecca.

25^th April: Iraqi Minister for Foreign Affairs Al-Sahaf addresses the UN Sub-commission on Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities. He berates SCR 986: ‘Children will continue to die after the agreement, since it does not correspond to the minimum needs of the civilian population. It is a temporary and feeble measure, and it should not be characterised as otherwise.’

He also notes that despite top level meetings with UN staff with a view to improving proceedings, none of the recommendations have been acted upon: ‘On the contrary, recently the United States of America has increased the number of the holds and blocks it has put on contracts, including those on the priority list itself.’

The Iraqi Ministry of Health published a UNICEF acknowledged total of 750,000 children under 5 suffering from malnutrition.

5^th May: Chinese Foreign Minister Qian Qichen declares in Beijing that China wishes to see the ending of sanctions as soon as possible.

14^th May: Over 50,000 Turkish troops invade Northern Iraq with the aim of rooting out Kurdish separatists. The huge scale of the invasion prompts Kurds to accuse the US of complicity and approval. No Security Council resolution is tabled to condemn this invasion and blatant disregard for Iraq’s borders. No actions is taken against Turkey whatsoever.

(Simons makes the point that movements of Iraqi troops within their own country had been reason enough for the US to periodically bomb Iraq without any UN authority.

In an extraordinary development in early April, the UN High Commissioner for Refugess witnessed oppressed Kurds crossing the border from Turkey into Iraq to seek sanctuary. One refugee, Ahmet Vurgun, stated: ‘We are not saying Saddam is totally respectful of human rights, but he is the one who is supporting us. Saddam is better than the UN and he is much better than Turkey.’

Even Kuwait appeared to be softening its’ hard line, stating that they would not oppose Saddam’s presence at an Arab Summit called to discuss the stalled Middle East peace process.)

21^st June: Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin agree to consider tougher sanctions against Iraq unless UNSCOM inspectors certify in October that Baghdad is fully co-operating.

20^th July: An Iraqi / UNICEF meeting reveals that the level of charitable donations to Iraq has actually diminished due to false expectations surrounding the effectiveness of the Oil-For-Food program.

August: The Iraqi Ministry of Health states that a UNICEF acknowledged total of child deaths due to sanctions has now reached 878,856.

The incidence of childhood cancers and birth deformities are continuing to rise. Observers again point to a possible link between this and the ever growing numbers of Western veterans with the mysterious ‘Gulf War Syndrome’. Veterans are also reporting birth deformities in children sired after the war.

October: Iraq refuses to disclose full details of its weapons programs and bars Americans from participating in the inspections.

An FAO / WFP report notes that the situation for most Iraqis is ‘…deplorable…’ and that a growing number of children seem to be suffering from ‘….severe wasting…’

November: The UN accuses Iraq of obstructing its weapons monitoring system and unanimously imposes a travel ban on Iraqi officials. Iraq expels the American weapons inspectors. The US and Britain step up military presence in the Gulf region.

14^th November: A detailed Iraqi / UNICEF report, ‘Nutritional Status Survey of Infants in the South/Centre of Iraq’ concludes that there is no evidence that the nutritional status of Iraqi children had improved since the adoption of SCR 986, and the supplementary SCR 1111, which raised the permitted oil sales level to $5.2 billion per six months. UNICEF representative in Baghdad Philippe Heffinck confirms the reports’ findings.

21^st November: UNSCOM inspectors are allowed back into Iraq to find that the Iraqis have apparently dismantled equipment and destroyed physical evidence.

29^th November: The ‘British Medical Journal’ reports that the Iraqi health system has virtually collapsed.

December: The Security Council votes to renew the oil-for-food program, allowing purchases of much needed food and medical supplies. UNSCOM Inspectors report that the Iraqis have declared wide areas off-limits.

At the end of the year Dr. Eric Hoskins releases another report ‘Political Gain and Civilian Pain: Humanitarian Impacts of Economic sanctions’. In it he states: ‘The Arab Monetary Fund has estimated the value of destroyed infrastructure and economic assets attributable to the 1991 Gulf war at $232 billion.’