Monday, March 2, 1998
Sanctions aren’t working in Middle East
IRAQ: Children, civilians, not Hussein’s leadership, are being
harmed by ineffective demands from U.S.
Millions of Iraqis, many of whom are children, are suffocating
under the harsh economic sanctions implemented and enforced by the
United Nations. Yet under the sanctions, whose sole purpose is to
force Saddam Hussein to comply with a U.N. resolution to destroy
all biological and chemical weapons, civilians are being dealt the
heaviest blows, while Hussein himself remains unaffected. Although
the Iraqi people have no control over the nation’s policies, they
are being punished with sanctions. The United Nations should
continue to negotiate with Hussein but lift the sanctions because
innocent Iraqis are suffering.
Since Aug. 11, 1990, about a week after Hussein’s forces invaded
Kuwait, Iraq has been subject to U.N. sanctions banning all exports
except for oil sales, under U.N. Security Council Resolution
(UNSCR) 986. The sanctions placed limitations on the goods imported
into the nation, allowing only food, medicine and other essential
products for civilians. The "food for oil" program capped the
amount of oil Iraq could sell in exchange for food and medicine at
$2 billion per six months. The program has led to disastrous
consequences for the Iraqi people, as the government has put a
higher priority on importing industrial materials and obstructing
the import of food and medicine.
The sanctions have ravaged Iraqi communities. Factories and
businesses have shut down. People have lost their jobs and their
homes. City buildings are crumbling, and conditions are worsening.
A Chicago-based humanitarian group called Voices in the Wilderness,
which delivered $40,000 in medical supplies to Iraq in December,
reported that over 567,000 children have died from starvation since
the sanctions began. A U.N. agency reports that approximately 1
million Iraqi children are suffering from chronic malnutrition as a
result of food shortages.
In spite of the startling figures, the United States still
insists the sanctions will not be lifted unless Iraq fully complies
with UNSCR 687, which set the terms for the Gulf War cease-fire
announced Feb. 28, 1991.
Under UNSCR 687, which took effect in April, Iraq was to accept
the destruction, removal or rendering harmless of all its nuclear,
chemical and biological weapons, and all ballistic missiles with an
over 150-kilometer range. Research, development or manufacture of
such weapons was also prohibited. Iraq would also be forced to
fully cooperate and allow unrestricted access to U.N. inspections
teams at any site.
Iraq has thus far failed to comply with the terms of the
resolution. It did not provide full disclosure documents on its
missiles until July 1996, five years after the U.N. demanded them.
The U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM) is concerned that Iraq may
still possess SCUD-type missiles due to conflicting reports
supplied by the nation’s officials. Warheads, missile components
and 17 tons of growth media for biological weapon agents have been
unaccounted for in the documents, which has led the U.N. to believe
Iraq possesses dangerous and potent military power.
In October 1997, U.N. weapons inspections teams reported that
Iraq still refused to disclose complete details of its banned arms
program. The United Nations subsequently issued a threat of a trade
ban until full cooperation was reached. Baghdad officials refused
to allow Americans to participate in the U.N. weapons inspection
and announced Americans must leave Iraq in one week. Iraqi
officials refused to allow two Americans to take part in the
inspections and said it does not fear the use of force.
In November, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan sent three
diplomats to meet with Iraq’s Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
Iraq said it would call off the ban on U.S. inspectors, but quickly
recanted after tougher sanctions were put into place.
On Feb. 23, Annan and Aziz reached an agreement in which Iraq
would fully cooperate with UNSCOM and allow full unrestricted
access to inspectors, even to previously off-limits presidential
palaces. U.S. officials have expressed misgivings about the U.N.
pact and reserved the right to bomb Iraq.
The United States has been the most vocal supporter and enforcer
of the U.N’s policies against Iraq when it has agreed with it. Yet
the United States is being hypocritical in forcing Iraq into
submission while it flaunts the authority to override U.N.
decisions. If the United States expects Iraq, or any other nation,
to comply with U.N.’s rulings, it needs to respect the body as
well. The United Nations, not the United States, is the
world-recognized power.
As the United Nations and Iraqi top officials continue to
negotiate, the United States must also remain cooperative and
respect the terms the United Nations dictates. But foremost, the
United Nations and the United States must put an end to the
suffering taking place within Iraq. Television crews and media
outlets from around the world have documented the terrible
conditions millions of Iraqis have experienced as a result of the
economic sanctions. Although Iraqi civilians have absolutely no
power over what Hussein does, the United States’ uncompromising
stance on the sanctions has cost over a million Iraqis their lives.
Allowing innocent people to die is no way to force Hussein into
submission.