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Iraq II: Russian Support For Smart Sanctions “Close,” Powell Says The United States and Russia have nearly reached agreement on new “smart sanctions” against Iraq, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told the Financial Times Tuesday (see GSN, Feb. 8). “We are this close” to obtaining Russian support, Powell said. Russia has many commercial interests in Iraq, which has made it more difficult, but Russian negotiators are coming around on the idea of the tightened sanctions, Powell said (see GSN, Jan. 18). “Iraq is not an easy friend to have, I keep reminding the Russians,” he said. The “smart sanctions” are part of the Bush’s administration’s efforts to oust Iraqi President Saddam Hussein from power, Powell said. “We believe that Iraq would be better served with a different ... regime, so we have had a policy of regime change,” he said. A policy of regime change in Iraq, however, does not mean an invasion is forthcoming, Powell said (see GSN, Feb. 12). He said that the smart sanctions are one part of a strategy that also includes measures such as support for opposition forces within Iraq and other unilateral and multilateral options. Some work is still needed on the smart sanctions plan before U.N. sanctions on Iraq are scheduled to be renewed in May, Powell said. There is still work to be done on a goods review list and on the best way to implement U.N. resolution 1284, which determines when sanctions on Iraq can be removed, he said. “But we have come a long way and I do hope that we will be able to get that action in May which will put in place smart sanctions and the Iraqis will no longer have the excuse — a false excuse, one that doesn’t really work — that we are hurting innocent people,” Powell said. “They are hurting innocent people. So I think that will happen” (Gerard Baker, Financial Times, Feb. 13). No Pressure for Syria Over Iraqi Oil The Bush administration has decided not to pressure Syria over its imports of Iraqi oil, even though there has been a large increase in the amount exported in violation of U.N. sanctions, according to the Washington Post (see GSN, Jan. 29). Syria is importing 150,000 to 200,000 barrels of Iraqi oil per day via a pipeline it reopened in 2000, industry analysts and U.S. officials said. They said Syria is paying Iraq $1 billion per year for the oil, which makes Syria Iraq’s largest source of income outside of the U.N. oil-for-food program. Iraq has probably offered Syria discounts of $2 to $3 dollars per barrel of oil to persuade Syria to break the U.N. restrictions, analysts said. U.S. officials, however, expressed little criticism over Syria’s imports of Iraq oil during two recent visits to Syria, according to the Post. In his visit last month, John Negroponte, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, briefly stated U.S. opposition to Syria’s Iraqi oil imports, according to diplomats. In a visit to Damascus in December, Assistant Secretary of State William Burns mentioned the U.S. displeasure over the Iraqi oil purchases, but chose instead to focus much of his visit on U.S.-Syrian cooperation in the war on terrorism, officials said. Syria has increased its sharing of intelligence on Islamic militant groups with the United States since the Sept. 11 attacks, they said. “Make no mistake about it, the pipeline issue is a serious topic and a point of contention,” said a U.S. official. “Are we willing to make it a sticking point so that it affects the relationship between our two countries? No. We have to be pragmatic.” Syria has received only “some quantities” of Iraqi oil through the pipeline in order to test it, and has not paid for the oil, said Rostom Zoubi, Syria’s Ambassador to the United States. When the pipeline is operational, Syria will apply to the U.N. Security Council for approval to operate it under the oil-for-food program, Zoubi said. He said Syria plans to open a second, more economical oil pipeline to Iraq that will also be operated under U.N. requirements. “Syria has always complied with United Nations Security Council resolutions,” Zoubi said. “Syrian trade with Iraq is always based on the oil-for-food program” (Sipress/Lynch, Washington Post, Feb. 14).
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