§ Mr. CohenTo ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has500W about the impact upon the Kurdish areas of the current policy of sanctions upon Iraq.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggWe recognise that United Nations sanctions have had a debilitating effect on Iraq. The situation is particularly severe in the Kurdish occupied areas in the north and the southern marshes where the Iraqi regime has also imposed internal economic embargoes. Nevertheless, the Kurdish leadership supports the need to maintain sanctions until Iraq is in compliance with all relevant resolutions. Given the internal embargo, the north is a particular focus for the international aid effort.