Some [Council Members] hinted the demand for lifting the sanctions might be held up until their own concerns were addressed.
It seems to me the Security Council should meet in emergency session to lift the sanctions, or are some UNSC members willing to punish the Iraqi people longer than necessary out of spite for Bush thumbing his nose at the Council?
Can the rebuilding of Iraq start without the end of sanctions? Every kind of equipment from medical services to power generation can not be legally imported to Iraq as the sanctions stand right now.
The most significant condition is that U.N. arms inspectors must first certify that Iraq has destroyed all its weapons of mass destruction. *
OTOH, I guess Shrub could quickly expedite the process by declaring Iraq free of WMD.
It will be interesting to watch the French on this. The news article I read in our paper was a bit sketchy, but it looks like the French (among others) might be holding this action hostage to their being included in the rebuilding of Iraq. The oil for food program is administered by the UN, and this really looks like a power struggle.
The sanctions were against the Regime of SH. Said regime no longer exists, so the WMD issue appears to me to be a moot point. I’m not too worried about Iraqis starving-- aid can pretty much take care of that. But they will remain a begger nation until the sanctions are lifted.
Blocking the lifting of sanctions is going to look very, very, bad.
Saddam already tried that dodge, and look what it got him. No, if the new government of Iraq wants the sanctions lifted, it has to prove to the UN that it has no WMD’s. Otherwise we’re right back where we started from in re threat proliferation when the US leaves.
You have to be joking. The USA has the run of Iraq, puts there a government of their liking, and then invades Iraq again and kills them all because they have not proved they do not have WMD?
In order for the oil barons to make their money, the sanctions must be lifted. The country isn’t secure yet. What’s the rush? There is no rebuilding going on yet. And won’t be till Iraq is secure.
Big Oil (working out of the curiously unlooted Ministry of Oil building) while their struggling hospitals are filled with cases of gastero-enteritis and other diseases are preventable by access to basics like clean drinking water would also send a strong message to the Iraqis .
Now how did that radio address by GwB go again?“We have no quarrel with the Iraqi people” So what point in the process did the Iraqi people get reclassified as pariahs become ostracised?
OK. You’re concerned about “Big Oil” not getting in too soon. But surely sanctions are going to be lifted at some point. What’s your plan to keep “Big Oil” out then? If they’re not kept out, how will it be different for “Big Oil” to be there 6 months from now as opposed to 1 month from now (other than the symbolic message you alluded to in your last post)?
Redeemer: I think the proper phrase is “Shrub and his cronies”.
Woolly: I can’t say I understand your point. It almost sounds like the “potent symbol” is the only thing you’re worried about, although I can’t believe that is true. So, I still don’t get the connection (other than symbolic) between “basic services being restored” and ending the sanctions. Would you favor ending the sanctions now if it were possible to keep “Big Oil” out for some specified period of time?
Bush was in St Louis today, calling for the quick end to UN sanctions against Iraq. Meanwhile the US Ambassador to the UN doesn’t have a resolution for the Security Council to vote.
I’m of the opinion that Iraqis who see suits in a ten gallon hats being driven past on the way to stitch up oil deals whilst their people are suffering due to lack of access to basics like clean water, power, food, security etc might be more inclined to consider the US as oppressors rather than liberators and conseqently might approve of, or even take, extreme measures to redress this.
I think that might be counterproductive in the “War on Terrorism”.
I guess if you’re predisposed to seeing business as evil, then yeah, seeing those cigar chomping fat businessmen walking around while smoke shaped like dollar signs drifts away from their cigars would be a pretty negative thing.
But what if the Iraqis see them for what they are? Companies coming to their country with engineers and specialists to help rebuild their infrastructure so that they can sell a gazillion gallons of oil and rebuild a new, wealthy modern society? That’d be okay, wouldn’t it?
Oh come on Sam, you know “Big Oil” has no intention of helping the Iraqis. All this business about making Iraq into a rich modern nation is just for show until the slave camps are up and running. Then us Americans can loot all of the natural resources and steal their women.