§ Lord Moynihanasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will refrain from accepting any outcome in the United Nations Security Council which would give Saddam Hussein control of Iraq's oil revenues, for as long as he is in defiance of the Security Council Resolutions; and [HL3764]
Since the United States Administration has said it has "some problems with parts" of the Anglo-Dutch draft resolution on Iraq currently under consideration by the Security Council, whether agreement is being reached with the United States over the improvements which it would require to be made to the draft resolution; and [HL3823]
Whether, in the absence of the required confirmation that Iraq has been disarmed and is being monitored, they will refrain from supporting any proposal during the discussions on a new United Nations Security Council resolution on Iraq to implement the work of the three United Nations panels which would leap-frog previous Security Council resolutions and lift the sanctions on Iraq; and [HL3766]
Whether, in light of the fact that the report of the United Nations panel on disarmament concluded that Iraq has not fulfilled its obligations as set out in the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, they will give an assurance that the draft resolutions on Iraq seeks to secure a more, rather than less, intrusive monitoring system for disarmament; and what consensus on this has been reached within the United Nations Security Council; and [HL3767]
What is the progress of the expansion and streamlining of the oil-for-food programme. [HL3768]
§ Baroness Symons of Vernham DeanIraq has still failed to comply with its obligations under Security Council resolutions. UN expert panels have confirmed that there are serious disarmament questions unanswered and that Iraq had failed to come clean about the fate of over 600 Kuwaitis and other nationals detained in 1991. The Government believe that in these circumstances sanctions cannot be lifted. Iraq's oil revenues must be controlled, in particular to ensure that they are not diverted for rearmament and that Iraq meets its obligation to compensate those who suffered during the invasion of Kuwait.
The draft resolution which we and six other members of the Security Council are co-sponsoring reflects this. It proposes a new disarmament organisation which would attempt to answer the outstanding questions. This would need to be more intrusive in some ways than UNSCOM has been in the past. Our draft resolution also removes the ceiling on Iraqi oil exports while maintaining close control over the use of those revenues. Discussions continue on the resolution, especially with the other permanent members of the Security Council, with the shared aim of reaching consensus on the best way forward.