The crisis is not over

The Security Council has agreed unanimously to let Iraq sell $2.14 billion worth of oil for six more months to buy food and medicine, after...

The Security Council has agreed unanimously to let Iraq sell $2.14 billion worth of oil for six more months to buy food and medicine, after the US and Britain delayed immediate changes sought by Iraq.

In a British-drafted resolution, the Council also expressed its intention “to consider favorably” any recommendation by Secretary-General Kofi Annan to increase the amount of oil Iraq can sell. Annan is expected to recommend such an increase next month for the programme, which was established last year to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people after more than seven years of crippling sanctions.

Speakers from several countries said they would support an increase if Annan so recommends. Russia and France suggested the amount of oil be doubled to $4 billion every 180 days.

Story continues below this ad

“Given the scope of the humanitarian disaster in Iraq… We should have gone further and increased the oil ceiling now”, French ambassador Alain Dejammet said. Earlier the US and Britain warned Baghdad that they remained prepared to use military force if Iraq did not bow to UN demands for unrestricted arms inspections.

British Defence Secretary George Robertson and US Defence Secretary William Cohen told reporters following talks in London that they hoped diplomatic pressure would succeed but that the two countries remained firm in their determination to halt Iraqi attempts to produce chemical and biological weapons.

“The clear message for the people of this country and indeed for the whole world is that this crisis is not over,” Robertson said of Iraq’s refusal to allow inspections of presidential palaces and other facilities in Iraq.

In Odisha, Modi mounts ‘loot tantra-vs-bachat utsav’ attack on Congress over GST

India5 hr ago

Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday hailed the revised Goods and Services Tax (GST) structures, saying the era of “double bachat (saving) and double kamai (income)” has arrived under the Bharatiya Janata Party rule. Addressing the ' Namo Yuva Samabesh' in Jharsuguda, Modi accused the Congress of indulging in “loot tantra (tactics)” while in power.

View all shorts

Live Blog

PHOTOS