Sign in Subscribe
United Nations

UN Security Council to Vote on Pipeline Resolution Next Week

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Turkey's ambassador to the United Nations, Inal Batu, announced that a draft resolution outlining conditions for draining the idle oil pipeline from Iraq over Turkey to the Mediterranean will be presented to the UN Security Council next week. The pipeline has been inoperable since August 1990, when the Security Council imposed an economic embargo on Iraq for invading Kuwait. The resolution aims to address the issue of compensation for Gulf War victims, distribution of supplies, and the operation to flush the pipeline, which contains approximately 12 million barrels of oil.

Key Takeaways:

  • The draft resolution will be presented to the UN Security Council next week, outlining conditions for draining the oil pipeline from Iraq over Turkey to the Mediterranean.
  • The pipeline has been idle since August 1990, when the Security Council imposed an economic embargo on Iraq for invading Kuwait.
  • The Iraqi government has agreed to set aside 30% of oil sale revenues for compensation of Gulf War victims and to deposit the remaining revenues into an UN escrow account.
  • The operation to flush the pipeline will begin two weeks after the council adopts the resolution and will take six months to complete.
  • Turkey will use part of the revenues from selling the 24 million barrels of oil to be flushed out of the pipeline to repair the pipeline and deduct expenses from the UN escrow account.
  • A list of food and medicine items needed by Iraq is ready to be presented to the UN Security Council, but Iraq has raised objections to distributing supplies in the Kurdish areas and Shiites in the south.
  • The coalition army drove Iraqi troops out of Kuwait at the end of February 1991 and imposed strict cease-fire conditions, including the destruction of Iraq's heavy weapons and compensation for war victims.

Statistics:

  • The pipeline is approximately 616 miles (985 km) long.
  • The pipeline contains approximately 12 million barrels of oil, with around 3.8 million barrels belonging to Turkey and 8 million belonging to Iraq.
  • The operation to flush the pipeline will involve flushing it twice, or approximately 24 million barrels or more.
  • The money in the UN escrow account will be used to buy food and medicine for Iraqi civilians.
  • The pipeline can be filled with fresh oil and sealed again after the operation.

Sources:

  • Turkey's ambassador to the United Nations, Inal Batu (as quoted in the article)
  • Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, T. Kurttekin (as mentioned in the article)
  • U.N. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali (as mentioned in the article)

Read more