France and US Differ on Lifting UN-Imposed Economic Sanctions on Iraq

The United States and France continue to disagree over the lifting of UN-imposed economic sanctions on Iraq, with President Bill Clinton and President Jacques Chirac holding a joint press conference at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris. Clinton emphasized the need for strict control to prevent Iraq from rebuilding its arsenal of mass destruction, while Chirac proposed replacing the UN Special Commission with a new arms control mechanism and re-examining the sanctions imposed on Iraq after its invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

Key Takeaways:

• The US and France differ on the lifting of UN-imposed economic sanctions on Iraq, with the US wanting to maintain the UN Special Commission as a strict control mechanism and France proposing to replace it with a new arms control mechanism.
• President Clinton warned that without a strict control mechanism, Iraq could rebuild its arsenal of mass destruction and that such arms could fall into the hands of terrorists and organized crime members within 10 years.
• Chirac argued that it is the Iraqi people who have suffered most from the sanctions and proposed re-examining the sanctions imposed on Iraq in 1990.
• France does not agree with the British-Dutch proposal to suspend the oil embargo on Iraq as the first step to alleviate economic sanctions, a plan supported by the US.
• Clinton and Chirac held a joint press conference at the Elysee presidential palace in Paris.

Statistics:

• The UN imposed economic sanctions on Iraq in 1990 after its invasion of Kuwait.
• Within 10 years, arms of high technology could proliferate and fall into the hands of terrorists and organized crime members if an international strict control mechanism is not imposed.
• The sanctions imposed on Iraq have primarily affected the Iraqi people.

Sources:

• "Paris (June 17) XINHUA"
• COMTEX (http://www.comtexnews.com)