UNSC examines US draft text paving way to lifting scientific restrictions on Iraq

February 20, 2010 · Posted in NEWS
2/20/2010 9:15:00 AM UNITED NATIONS, Feb 20 (KUNA) –

The US late Friday circulated among UN Security Council members for examination a draft presidential statement that would express the members’ “readiness” to lift restrictions on Iraq’s scientific and technical research once the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) certifies that Baghdad has complied with all its disarmament obligations.

“The Security Council underlines its readiness, once the necessary steps have been taken, to review, with a view towards lifting, the restrictions in resolution 687 of 1991 and 707 of 1991 related to weapons of mass destruction and civil nuclear activities,” the draft statement says.

The council would also request the IAEA to inform the members “as soon as possible regarding the quality of Iraq’s safeguards-related cooperation with the IAEA,” including whether Iraq is implementing provisionally the Additional Protocol pending its entry into force.

The council will approve the draft text in the next few days. It will actually lift the restrictions at a later stage, after receiving the green light from the IAEA, by voting on a draft resolution.

The lifting of restrictions will be limited to disarmament issues only.

Iraq has so far asked for permission from the UN to import chemicals, such as pesticides, because they can be used for military purposes.

While Iraq wants to come out from under Chapter 7 altogether, the international community demands that it complies first with other issues related to its border with Kuwait and the missing Kuwaitis and property during the 1990 invasion.

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari confirmed in a letter to the council last month that his government supports the international nonproliferation regime and complies with disarmament treaties and other relevant international instruments and is committed to taking additional steps to comply with non-proliferation and disarmament standards.

The council would welcome in the statement Zebari’s letter,
Iraq’s accession to the Convention on the Prohibition of the Development, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruction, and its intention to sign the Hague Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation.

It would also welcome the fact that Iraq signed the Additional Protocol to the Comprehensive Safeguards Agreement with the IAEA and that the Additional Protocol is currently before the Parliament for ratification, as is the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty.

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