Iraq food deal 'must improve'

Benon Sevan has been meeting Iraqi officials

The head of the United Nations oil-for-food programme in Iraq has urged a fresh approach and more flexibility.

Benon Sevan said there was room for improvement by all parties in the humanitarian programme, under which Iraq is allowed to sell oil to buy food, medicines and other essential goods.

He was speaking at the end of a 17-day visit to Iraq, during which he has met Iraqi officials who are calling for a review of the aid programme.

"The programme was never meant to solve all the problems of the Iraqi people

Benon Sevan

Sanctions were imposed on Iraq following its 1990 invasion of Kuwait and the oil-for-food deal set up in 1996.

Baghdad has often complained of delays in the arrival of supplies which have to be vetted by the UN sanctions committee. It also accuses the United States and Britain of blocking contracts with foreign suppliers.

"Without breaking rules and procedures, I think we can use the rules more credibly and avoid, on the one hand, putting in place procedures to expedite and, on the other hand, not allowing its full implementation," Mr Sevan told reporters.

"There has to be a concerted effort to move forward."

'Acute' need

Mr Sevan, who is due to leave Iraq on Wednesday, said his role was not a political one. He said his job centred only on improving the aid programme.

"We are trying to persuade all concerned that the issue should be humanitarian and maintain this distinct identity despite all differences among the members of the Security Council," he said.

Iraq can sell oil to buy food and medicines

"The programme was never meant to solve all the problems of the Iraqi people and not all the needs of the Iraqis.

"It is becoming worse because, as the years go by, the needs are getting more acute."

Mr Sevan said an "excessive" number of holds on purchasing contracts were seriously hindering the humanitarian programme - contracts worth $1.7bn in total.

They included materials for electricity, telecommunications, transport and water and sanitation, essential to the oil industry

"Iraq is producing and exporting oil at a very high price ... as it is damaging its wells, some of them irrevocably," said Mr Sevan.

A senior Iraqi Oil Ministry official said last week that unless spare parts were approved soon Iraq would have to cut its production level, currently 3.1 million barrels per day.

Oh his arrival in Baghdad Mr Sevan said some changes had already been made to speed up the delivery of supplies to Iraq.

He said the UN committee had agreed "on a list of parts and equipment which would be approved by a group of (technical) experts" rather than the committee itself.

He also said lists had been drawn up of food, health, educational and agricultural products that would not need to be submitted to the sanctions committee for approval.