Russia may offer alternative to Iraq sanctions plan

[Mariboulg]

Russia may offer alternative to Iraq sanctions plan


Updated: Fri, Jun 22 11:50 AM EDT


MOSCOW, June 22 (Reuters) - Russia's foreign minister criticised a British-U.S. plan to modify the sanctions regime on Iraq on Friday and said Moscow may offer its own alternative.

"It is still too early to say what the final steps will be. Consultations are continuing. But nothing can be ruled out, including our (offering a) counter proposal," Igor Ivanov told reporters in the State Duma lower house of parliament after discussing Iraq with deputies in committee.

Ivanov did not say what such a counter proposal might contain, leaving the final outcome of heated debate over the future of sanctions unresolved. But his strong words suggested Moscow is not ready to approve the so-called "smart sanctions" plan being pushed by Washington.

The United States, backed by Britain, is eagerly seeking to overhaul the decade-old U.N. Security Council sanctions regime, which has lost much international support and started to show cracks.

A British-drafted resolution would ease sanctions on civilian trade while continuing to ban military imports and restricting a list of "dual-use" goods.

It would also place tighter control on oil exports to neighbouring countries, imposing U.N. control over a trade of an estimated $1 billion per year that goes directly to Iraq rather than through the closely supervised U.N. oil-for-food programme.

Ivanov called the British-drafted resolution "one-sided, because it only envisions tightening the sanctions and...does not say anything about terms for lifting the sanctions."

"Iraq has been under the sanctions for an extended period of time, but there are at present no developments in efforts to resolve the situation. Iraq is one of our most important partners in the Middle East, and therefore we are interested in having the sanctions lifted," he said.

But he added that Russia supports Iraq fulfilling U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for disarmament.

The Security Council's self-imposed deadline for discussing the British resolution is July 3. It is to hold a public debate on the issue on June 26.

Iraq says the resolution would tighten sanctions rather than ease them, and this would harm its people.

On June 4, Baghdad cut off 2.1 million barrels a day of U.N.-supervised oil exports, after the Council voted to extend the existing sanctions regime by only one month rather than the usual six, to consider the smart sanctions resolution.

Iraq says it will continue to block exports if the "smart sanctions" are imposed, or if the existing sanctions are again extended for a shorter than usual term.

The council's five permanent members -- the United States, Britain, Russia, China and France, must all support any changes.