RIGHT OF REPLY
Agenda Item 12

Madam Chair:
We are greatly disturbed by the working paper prepared by Mr. Marc Bossuyt on the effects of sanctions, and in particular his case study of UN sanctions against Iraq. Any observer who understands the facts can only find this section of the report to be incorrect, biased and inflammatory. It risks the credibility of the Sub-Commission.

Let me review the facts:

(1) Iraq waged an unprovoked war of aggression 10 years ago on its neighbor, Kuwait, after earlier having attacked its neighbor, Iran, and having butchered thousands of its own citizens.

(2) Iraq has had an aggressive program to develop the full range of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and has used such weapons against Iran and also against its very own people.

(3) The international community reacted with an historic body of international law, including a sanctions regime, to reverse the Iraqi aggression, to disarm Iraq of its WMD and related programs and to ensure that it is never again a threat to peace and security.

(4) The sanctions regime, even from the beginning, never limited or prohibited Iraq from importing humanitarian goods, such as food and medicine.

(5) For five years, the Iraqi regime resisted the international community's efforts to institute the Oil-for-Food program.

Madam chair, the report's characterization of the purpose of the sanctions is wrong, as is its characterization of their effects. Particularly egregious is the complete misrepresentation of the views and sentiments of senior United States officials. In fact, with others in the international community, the United States has worked hard to ensure that the welfare of the Iraqi people is protected, in stark contrast to the appalling behavior of an Iraqi regime which has shown itself to be completely insensitive to the suffering of its own people.

Moreover, the report's description of who controls sanctions is also wrong. The Sub-Commission will recall that it was the UN Security Council that decided to impose sanctions as the result of Iraq's naked aggression against a neighbor until it was possible to verify that Iraq had destroyed its weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq was no longer a threat to peace and stability. Iraq itself therefore controls the duration of the sanctions.

The sanctions are designed to achieve Iraqi compliance with Security Council resolutions. These resolutions are international law. They merit the full support and implementation of all UN members. In order to mitigate the impact on the Iraqi civilian population, food and medicine were always excepted. As far back as 1991, the UN offered the Oil for Food Program, which Iraq refused for five years; it is now the largest humanitarian assistance program in U.N. history.

Oil for Food works. The humanitarian situation of the Iraqi people has improved. If Oil for Food is able to operate free of interference by the Iraqi regime, prospects for continued improvement are excellent.

We will continue to insist that Iraq comply with the Security Council resolutions, including those mandating procedures to improve the humanitarian situation of the Iraqi people, despite the worst efforts of Saddam's regime.

In conclusion, this report reflects unfavorably on the Sub-Commission and on its author.