Iraq (Hansard, 31 January 2001)

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement about the outcomes of the oil-for-food programme for Iraq. [147374]

§ Mr. Wilson
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer the then Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Neath (Mr. Hain) gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Linlithgow (Mr. Dalyell) on this subject on 22 January 2001,Official Report, column 405W.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much of the money from the Iraqi "oil-for-food" programme, held in a UN administered account, was spent on(a) food and medicine, (b) war reparations and (c) payments to the UN in the last 12 months. [147370]

§ Mr. Wilson
During the last 12 months the UN has continued to direct 66 per cent. of "oil for food" revenue to the UN's humanitarian programme in Iraq, 30 per cent. to the UN Compensation Fund and 4 per cent. to UN administration of the programme. However, for the current phase of "oil for food" (December 2000-June 2001) the UN has agreed to reduce the UN Compensation Fund share to 25 per cent. and increase the humanitarian programme share to 71 per cent. as a gesture to the Iraqi people.

§ Mr. Llwyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has received concerning the ending of sanctions against Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [147381]

§ Mr. Wilson
In response to recent representations by the Government of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, we have given assurances that the process leading to the suspension and eventual lifting of sanctions on Iraq can begin when Iraq chooses to co-operate. SCR1284—a UK 249W initiative—continues to offer Iraq the opportunity to make quick progress in this process. We continue to urge Iraq to accept this resolution.

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps are being taken to combat the smuggling of embargoed goods to and from Iraq; and what role Turkey plays in this process. [147025]

§ Mr. Wilson
[holding answer 30 January 2001]: The UN sanctions regime continues to be largely effective in controlling the flow of embargoed goods into and out of Iraq and denying the Iraqi regime of funds outside UN control. However we remain concerned about breaches of sanctions, in particular the smuggling of Iraqi oil through the Gulf and across Iraq's land borders, which has the effect of depriving the Iraqi people of humanitarian aid under the UN "oil for food" programme.
Where we have firm evidence that embargoed goods are being smuggled, we press Governments, including that of Turkey, both bilaterally and through the UN Sanctions Committee to take action against the smugglers. We also continue to play an active role in the Multinational Interception Force, which through its regular patrolling, helps to deter smuggling through the Gulf.