Baghdad Rejects UN "Oil for Food" Resolution - 1 April, 2003

Baghdad rejects the resolution passed by the UN Security Council on March 28th for the resumption of humanitarian deliveries to Iraq as part of the "Oil for Food" programme, Iraqi Ambassador to Russia Abbas Khalaf told RIA Novosti on Tuesday. The Iraqi government believes such issues cannot be resolved without its participation, he said.

"The UN Security Council should have denounced the aggression of the United States and Great Britain against Iraq instead of legalising it," the Iraqi ambassador stressed. He explained that the Iraqi authorities had enough means to feed the Iraqi people.

According to the ambassador, Iraq's permanent representative in the UN Security Council has informed the UN Secretary General about Iraq's intention not to accept any goods which were to come to Iraq as part of the resumed "Oil for Food" programme.

Baghdad is not satisfied with the changes brought into the programme's realisation scheme by the UN Security Council, Khalaf stressed. Baghdad insists that food should be received in compliance with the schedule valid before the aggression, he specified. According to the Ambassador, the changes brought by the UN Security Council "are contrary to Iraq's sovereignty".

The "Oil for food" programme was suspended on March 17th. On March 28th, the UN Security Council passed a resolution to resume the programme with certain amendments. According to the resolution, humanitarian aid deliveries will be supervised by UN officials instead of the Iraqi government.