) >From: Mark Clement <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > >IRAQ SANCTIONS MONITOR Number 122 >Monday, September 18, 2000 > > >LATEST NEWS++++++++++ > >Iraq press say U.S. plans attack against Baghdad. > >BAGHDAD, Sept 18 (Reuters) - The Iraqi press rejected on Monday threats to >use force against Baghdad if it threatens its neighbours and charged that >Washington was preparing an attack on Iraq with the aid of its allies in the >Middle East. > >The United States warned Baghdad after allegations last week from Iraq that >Kuwait was stealing Iraqi oil from a border field. >U.S. Defence Secretary William Cohen said in Singapore on Sunday that the >United States was watching Iraq closely and would not allow President Saddam >Hussein to become a threat again. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had >said on Thursday that Washington stood ready to use military force against >Baghdad. > >Iraq on Saturday had denied it was threatening any of its neighbours and >dismissed as baseless what it called U.S. allegations that it was >threatening Kuwait. > >"We not only pour scorn to statements made by those Zionists, but we regret >the level of political and moral misery they have reached," the ruling Baath >party newspaper said in a front-page editorial. > >"After revealing the reality of this (Kuwaiti) theft, the American >administration starts issuing warnings to Iraq in a ridiculous manner," it >said. > >Iraq's most influential newspaper, Babel, said that the United States was >planning a new military attack against Iraq. "The American administration is >planning a new aggression against Iraq, relying on its failing actors in the >region, the rulers of Kuwait and Saudi Arabia," said Babel, which is owned >by the eldest son of the Iraqi president. > >Iraq recently revived accusations that Kuwait was stealing its oil and >warned of unspecified measures against the neighbour it invaded in 1990, >leading to the U.S.-led Gulf War in 1991. The Kuwaiti cabinet met on Sunday >and issued a statement saying that Iraq posed a real and present threat to >the vital oil-rich Gulf region and called for serious international steps to >contain its former occupier. >Kuwait "strongly rejects these false (Iraqi) accusations and the real danger >they pose to regional security and stability", the statement said. > > >Russian businessmen arrive in Iraq to talk business. >Text of report by Russian Mayak radio on 18th September > >A group of Russian businessmen has arrived in Iraq. The group is headed by >Arnold Bekker, president of the Stroytransgas corporation. They are expected >to have talks at the Iraqi oil ministry today [18th September]. They will >discuss Russia's future involvement in projects to extract hydrocarbons in >Iraq and supplies of equipment, in particular. The businessmen also brought >five tonnes of medicine in humanitarian aid to Iraq. The Iraqi government >and public responded positively to this new manifestation of friendship by >Russia. > > >Unease in Two Gulfs Sends Crude to 10-Year High. > >NEW YORK (Wall Street Journal) - Crude-oil futures climbed Friday to their >highest levels since the Gulf War, as tensions between Iraq and Kuwait and a >hurricane threat in the oil-rich Gulf of Mexico heightened supply worries. > >October crude futures at the New York Mercantile Exchange rose $1.93 to as >high as $36 a barrel, before closing at a 10-year high of $35.92, up $1.85. > > >US warns against resuming flights to Baghdad. > >A campaign to restore civilian air travel to Baghdad gained pace yesterday >when Jordan joined Russia in declaring that it was preparing to end 10 years >of Iraqi isolation. > >As Iraq continued to accuse Kuwait of stealing its oil and the US warned >President Saddam Hussein against renewing hostilities in the Gulf, Jordan >said it was consulting other countries about resuming civilian flights. > >Moscow said last week that it might begin passenger flights to Baghdad next >month, but no final decision has been taken. Russian and Iraqi officials are >negotiating the arrangements. > >While the US and Britain insist that non-humanitarian flights to Baghdad are >proscribed by the UN sanctions resolution, Russia and France say that the >resolution makes no explicit mention of passenger air traffic. > >The US secretary of state, Madeleine Albright, said civilian flights into >Saddam Hussein International Airport were not a good idea. >The Jordanian trade minister, Wasef Azar, was quoted by the Petra news >agency yesterday as saying that Jordan was `coordinating with various >international sides to resume air flights to Iraq'. >Iraq has accused Kuwait of stealing hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil >daily from two oilfields near the southern port of Basrah. Kuwait has >replied that it is far readier to resist than it was 10 years ago when Iraq >invaded its territory. > >The US defence secretary, William Cohen, said yesterday: `We have made it >very clear to Saddam Hussein that he should not seek to pose a threat to his >neighbours or to his own people as he has done in the past.' > >Iraqi newspapers said it was `common knowledge" that Kuwait was stealing >Iraqi oil. Kuwait said yesterday that Iraq posed a real danger to the >region, and called on the international community to take `serious steps' to >end threat. Iraq would `pay dearly if it committed any military stupidity,' >it said. >(The Guardian) > > >KUWAIT TIMES - Razzooqi meets rights officials in Geneva - No going back on >war prisoners issue. > >GENEVA: The Kuwaiti permanent representative to the United Nations here >Dharar Abdel Razzak Razzooqi told an informal meeting of the human rights >commission that "Kuwait will not let Iraq off the hook". > >Addressing the informal meeting late Friday, Razzooqi stressed that Kuwait >is watching the developments closely. "We will continue to monitor the >situation and intensify our efforts to solve the humanitarian tragedy of 600 >missing persons including prisoners of war, Kuwaitis and third country >nationals victims of the illegal Iraqi occupation of Kuwait in August 1990," >added Razzooqi. > > >KUWAIT TIMES - Hostile remarks against Kuwait - Iraq keeping tension high. > >Kuwait's Information Minister Dr Saad Bin Teflah Al-Ajmi said on Thursday >that Iraq is attempting to bring the area into other wars and strives to >keep tension going. He said that the continuation of the Iraqi regime was >linked to the continuance of tension in the region by creating problems and >crises with its neighbours. > >This came in a statement to Kuna commenting on recent Iraqi statements in >which it accused Kuwait of stealing oil from the Iraqi Al-Rumailah oil field >near the Kuwait-Iraq borders. "These outrageous media statements launched by >the Baghdad government cannot be understood apart from other strongly-worded >and hostile remarks uttered against neighbouring countries", he said. > >Bin Teflah said "the Iraqi regime had earlier launched hostile statements >against Egypt and the Arab League Secretary General, followed by an >unjustified attack against the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and then >Iran every now and then". > > >News from the United Arab Emirates - Sanctions-busting vessels sold off. > >Abu Dhabi - The UAE authorities have sold six UN sanction-busting vessels >for about Dh4 million in an auction held at Abu Dhabi's Port Zayed and the >Free Port. > >All six vessels were intercepted and seized by international naval forces in >Gulf waters between the first week of July and the first week of August for >breaking the UN oil embargo on Iraq. > >After the interception, the UN naval forces handed over the vessels to the >UAE Coast Guard in the territorial waters of the emirates. The Coast Guard >escorted them to the Free Port and Mina Zayed of Abu Dhabi Seaports >Authority. > >One of the vessels, the Sea Whale, was sold for Dh2.01 million. The vessel, >and its cargo of 7,700 tonnes of fuel oil, were auctioned at Port Zayed. The >vessel was berthed at Port Zayed, instead of the Free Port, due to its large >size. The cargo was sold for Dh4 million, fetching twice the value of the >vessel. The other vessels auctioned were: Al Mabrouka (Dh460,000); Divine II >(Dh420,000); Medan (Dh400,000); Sunshine I (Dh320,000); and Seawind >(Dh300,000). >Another Kingston-flagged vessel, Good Premium, has been released by the >local and UN authorities after investigations revealed that it was not >carrying illegal Iraqi oil. > >Officials at the Free Port were not able to provide any information about >the cargo auction of the five ships. But one official said the cargo of the >five vessels at Free Port must have fetched more Dh2 million for the UN. >According to sanction rules, the proceeds from the sale of oil go to the >United Nations, and the country that accepts a seized vessel is free to do >with it according to its laws. > > >Rockets hit Baghdad, Iraq blames Iran. > >Unknown assailants fired three 122-millimeter rockets in a residential >quarter of Baghdad on Sunday, wounding one civilian and damaging a number of >houses, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) quoted a police source as >saying. > >INA quoted the unnamed source as saying Iran was behind the attack. "The >Iranian regime bears the full responsibility for these horrible acts. This >crime will not pass without punishment." > >The agency did not give the exact location of the attack, which occurred at >around 2 a.m., but quoted the source as saying they found launching pads and >an unexploded rocket at the site. > >On May 1 this year, a missile attack in a residential area of >Baghdad killed a young girl and wounded six. Iraq also blamed Iran for that >attack. Iraq and Iran have accused each other of hosting opposition groups >close to their common borders, with Iraq sheltering Iran's National >Liberation Army, and Iran hosting Al-Badr Forces. >(c) 2000 KYODO NEWS. > > >Iraq says Iran rockets hit Baghdad, houses wrecked. > >BAGHDAD, Sept 17 (Reuters) - Iraq said Iranian agents fired three rockets at >residential districts in Baghdad on Sunday, wounding one person and >destroying several houses. > >"A group of killers, agents of the Iranian regime, fired three 122mm rockets >at residential districts in Baghdad," the Iraqi News Agency INA quoted a >security official as saying. The rockets struck at 8 a.m. (0400 GMT). > >"This cowardly incident has led to wounding one citizen and damaging a >number of residential houses," the official said. >There was no immediate comment from Iran. > >Tension between the two neighbours has escalated in recent months over >cross-border attacks by the Iraq-based Mujahideen Khalq, the main exiled >Iranian opposition group. Iran has in the past launched retaliatory strikes >against Mujahideen positions in Iraq. >INA quoted the security official as saying that Iraqi authorities had found >an unexploded fourth rocket and equipment for firing the projectiles. > >The official said Iraq held the Iranian government responsible for the >attack, a "crime that would not pass without revenge". >Iraq's satellite television channel broadcast pictures of a house with a >large crater in the roof and smashed windows. It also showed two cars >damaged in the attack and one of the injured victims being treated in a >Baghdad hospital. > > >Egypt, Iraq Sign Protocol on Cooperation in Energy. > >CAIRO, September 17 (Xinhua) - Egypt and Iraq have signed a protocol on >technical cooperation in the field of electricity and unconventional energy, >the Egyptian Gazette newspaper reported on Sunday. > >Egyptian Minister of Electricity and Energy Ali el-Saeedi and Director of >the Iraqi Electricity Commission Salah Yusuf Kazir inked the protocol, the >English-language paper said. > >Under the agreement, the two countries will exchange expertise and >information on replacement, renewal and maintenance of power stations, and >hold relevant and needed technical consultations. >It covers cooperation in generation, transfer and distribution of >electricity in remote areas, as well as training Iraqi technicians and >engineers at specialized centers affiliated to the Egyptian Ministry of >Electricity and Energy. > >The protocol called on the private sector in both countries to step up joint >investment in the manufacture and export of electrical equipments, in >addition to meeting the needs of Arab and African countries in this respect. > >Iraq has a desire to make use of Egyptian expertise in building power >projects and utilizing unconventional energy, the pro-government paper said. > >El-Saeedi said after the signing ceremony that Egyptian companies are ready >to help rehabilitate outdated relay stations of electricity in the Iraqi >capital of Baghdad. > >Kazir, who arrived in Cairo on Tuesday for a week-long visit, expressed >Iraq's keenness on cooperating with Egypt in using unconventional and new >and renewable energy. > > >Russian oil delegation arrives on board direct Moscow-Baghdad flight. Text >of report by Iraqi radio on 17th September > >A Russian civilian plane landed at Saddam Airport at 1300 [0900 gmt] today >in a direct flight from Moscow to Baghdad. The Yak-42 plane carried an >11-member Russian oil delegation, in addition to its seven-member crew. > >Alkos Bekker, head of the delegation and head of the Stroy Transgas Company, >made a statement to the Iraqi News Agency, the Iraqi Space Channel and Iraq >Television after disembarking from the plane. He said that this flight >reflects Russia's rejection of the continued air embargo imposed on Iraq >without any legal justification. He added that the delegation will hold >talks with Iraqi officials aiming at developing and bolstering oil >cooperation between Iraq and Russia. > >Fa'iz Abdallah al-Shahin, Oil Ministry undersecretary, was present to >welcome the delegation. He welcomed the Russian delegation's visit as a >reflection of the deep friendship between Iraq and Russia. He explained that >the visit is an occasion for the Russian oil companies seeking transactions >with Iraq to explore avenues of bilateral cooperation. > >It is noteworthy that Russian officials announced in press statements that >the UN resolutions do not provide for banning flights between Iraq and the >outside world and vice-versa. >Historical calendar ......1980 - A simmering border war between Iran and >Iraq flared into full-scale hostilities when Iraqi troops crossed the border >and encircled Abadan, setting fire to the world's biggest oil refinery > > >UN observer mission denies "unusual" Iraqi troop movement near Kuwaiti >border. Excerpt from report by London-based newspaper 'Al-Sharq al-Awsat' >web site > >Kuwait: A Kuwaiti military source has said that his country is ready to deal >with any Iraqi provocation. Meanwhile, the official spokesman for the UN >Iraq-Kuwait Observers Mission, UNIKOM, Abd-al-Ilahi Rijal [name as >transliterated], said that there are no unusual Iraqi troop movements in >southern Iraq near the demilitarized zone between the two countries. Rijal >said that the "situation on the border is very calm and everything is >normal". He stressed that the mission has not "monitored an unusual or >irregular Iraqi movements in the past week". > >Iraq renews oil theft accusation against Kuwait. > >BAGHDAD, Sept 17 (Reuters) - The Iraqi press on Sunday renewed Baghdad's >accusation that Kuwait was stealing Iraqi oil and one newspaper said Baghdad >was demanding its return. > >"It has become public knowledge that Kuwait is stealing Iraqi oil from the >Rumaila and Zubair oilfields in the (southern province of) Basra," the >government newspaper al-Jumhouriya said. > _______________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. 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