Iraq has said it is cutting rations of milk for children and other products by a third in January because of delays in the delivery of humanitarian aid under the oil-for-food programme.

A Trade Ministry statement read out on Iraqi TV on Sunday said each Iraqi child would receive 1.8 kg of powdered milk in January, compared with 2.7 kg in December.

It said rations of tea and detergents had also been reduced.

The statement said deliveries of milk had failed to arrive because the USA and Britain were blocking the implementation of contracts to buy essential goods under the oil-for-food agreement.

"While people all around the world, including children, are celebrating the beginning of a new year and hoping that the new year will bring ample security, and prosperity, the US administration - backed by the United Kingdom - is striving to punish the children of Iraq as part of its punishment of the Iraqi people," the statement said.

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.
 

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