WRITTEN QUESTION E-0699/01

by Eurig Wyn (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(14 March 2001)

Subject: UK involvement in the bombing of Baghdad

Will the Council be supporting UK involvement in the bombing of Baghdad?

Would the Council not agree that the citizens of Iraq have already suffered enough following the economic embargo, and that further air attacks by the USA and Britain will only add to their suffering, and that in the name of democracy and human rights these attacks should be condemned?

Reply

(13 July 2001)

The Council has no common position on the issue of the no-fly zones in Iraq, including the bombings referred to in the question.

The Council considers it important to prevent the Iraqi Government from again acquiring weapons of mass destruction and recalls its full support for the relevant UN Security Council resolutions on Iraq, including resolution 1284/99. The Council agrees, however, that there is a need to alleviate the suffering of the Iraqi people resulting from the implementation of these sanctions. The oil-for-food program is of crucial importance in this context and the Council hopes that the implementation of the program could be streamlined in accordance with the recommendations by the UN Secretary-General. Within the framework of the UNSC resolutions, the Council is examining possibilities for further EU action in the humanitarian and cultural fields.

The Council also notes that the full cooperation of the Iraqi Government with the UN would lead to a suspension and eventual lifting of sanctions in accordance with the provisions of UNSC resolution 1284. The Council hopes that the recent contacts between the UN Secretary-General and representatives of the Iraqi Government will promote such cooperation in the future.

The Council has also noted with interest the discussions in the UN Security Council about improving the effectiveness of the sanctions, including better targeting, and thereby avoiding unnecessary human suffering.