Russia pleased to see UN oil-for-food deal with Iraq back on track

Text of report in English by ITAR-TASS news agency

Moscow, 8th January: The Russian Foreign Ministry is satisfied that the UN-Iraq oil-for-food deal is on the track again, ministry spokesman Valeriy Nesterushkin said on Thursday.

He lauded the "abolition of technical problems and continuation of the implementation of the general agreement of Iraq with the UN", commonly referred to as the oil-for-food deal.

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan on Tuesday [6th January] approved the plan of Iraq's imports of food and medicines bought on proceeds from exports of Iraqi oil.

"This allows Iraq to resolve very important humanitarian problems related to providing food and medicines to its civilian population," Nesterushkin said at a briefing.

He said efforts are continuing to improve the efficiency of inspections by the UN commission on the disarmament of Iraq. Commission leader Richard Butler plans another trip to Iraq soon, Nesterushkin said.

He said "we are continuing dialogue with our partners at the UN Security Council, in particular on issues of closing one of the four disarmament dossiers of Iraq, the nuclear one." Nesterushkin said the summary issued in October by the International Atomic Energy Agency indicates that Iraq has stopped all work on nuclear weapons.

Proceeding from this, Russia is bringing in question the need for stating the achieved progress, if on specific tracks, Nesterushkin said. "And on the basis of this to speak of the possibility of light in the end of the tunnel for Iraq," he said. "In order [for] this country also [to] feel that its constructive cooperation with the UN special commission can elicit an answering response of the international community, in particular in terms of relief of the sanctions and, in prospect, the lifting of the oil embargo," Nesterushkin said.

Source: ITAR-TASS news agency (World Service), Moscow, in English 1033 gmt 8 Jan 98

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