By Saloua Jandoubi UNITED NATIONS, Dec 19 (KUNA) -- Russia's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin late Thursday said Iraq cannot at the same time request to remain under Chapter 7 of the UN Charter in the case of the renewal of the mandate of the Development Fund for Iraq, and out of it when it comes to other resolutions, predicting that Iraq will remain under Chapter 7 "for a while." Churkin was referring to Iraq's request from the Security Council earlier this month to extend the mandate of the Development Fund for Iraq for one more year, with a six-month review, while remaining under Chapter 7, but to get out of it regarding other resolutions related to the practices of the former Iraqi regime.
Churkin told a press conference in answer to a question by KUNA, "I think given the requirements of the Iraqis to be protected by Chapter 7 in this fund, you cannot get out of Chapter 7 if you want to have that protection under Chapter 7." "Frankly," he added, "the situation in Iraq is such that the presence of the Security Council in this form (Chapter 7) or another needs to continue to be there for a while." Chapter 7 allows the Council to "determine the existence of any threat to the peace, breach of the peace, or act of aggression" and to take military and nonmilitary action to "restore international peace and security." The mandate of the Development Fund for Iraq expires later this month and Iraq, according to a letter by its Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki to the Security Council earlier this month, wants the international community to "continue the protection and arrangements" for the oil proceeds under Chapter 7 "until the government is able to take the necessary measures to settle debts and claims inherited from the former regime." Al-Maliki, however, wants the council to recognize that the situation in Iraq is significantly different from the one under the Saddam regime and therefore wants to get out of Chapter 7 and "resume its legal and international status" that it enjoyed before the invasion of Kuwait in August 1990.
A council diplomat told KUNA that Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, who is currently in New York, is consulting with council members regarding a draft resolution, also under Chapter 7, that would keep the fund under Chapter 7 and would state in a separate paragraph that Iraq is no longer a threat to international peace and security.
Zebari, the diplomat added, also wants the council to create a committee to review all other relevant resolutions beginning with sanctions resolution 661 of August 1990, which the council adopted four days after Saddam's forces invaded Kuwait.
The diplomat also quoted Zebari as saying that Iraq will continue to comply with the council resolutions pertaining to the Kuwait-Iraq situation from the demarcation of the border to the repatriation of the Kuwaiti remains to the return of stolen property, and would hold bilateral talks with Kuwait and any other claimants in order to solve all other pending issues.
The vote on the draft is scheduled for early next week. (end) sj.ema KUNA 190901 Dec 08NNNN