6^th January: Tariq Aziz holds talks with Alain Juppe in Paris to explore conditions to lift sanctions. Russia is also lobbying for an end to the embargo within a matter of months. US State Dept. spokeswoman Christine Shelley rebukes the French initiative, citing it as not "….a timely action….neither helpful nor constructive…"

The following Security Council review upholds sanctions despite increasing commercial and humanitarian pressures.

16^th January: The permanent Iraqi mission to the UN office in Geneva presents a report to the Centre For Human Rights. ‘Rights of The Child’ argues, and indeed proves, that the continuing embargo is ‘….a form of genocide on the people of Iraq…’ It correctly declares that it is illegal under the UN’s own ‘Convention on The Rights of the Child’ and the ‘UN Conventions on Genocide’, and as such constitutes ‘….an international crime punishable under international law, regardless of whether it is committed in time of war or peace.’

At the end of the month Sa’di Mahdi Salih, speaker of the Iraqi national Assembly holds a series of meetings in Moscow to discuss sanctions. Afterwards Russian Premier Victor Chernomyrdin announces that Russia supports a gradual lifting of sanctions. The Iraqis agree to co-operate in the last outstanding matters of missing Kuwaiti servicemen and property.

Reports surface in Western media that Iraqi agents are allegedly using poison to assassinate opponents of Saddam. Safa al-Battat, a member of the Iraqi National Congress is poisoned in Northern Iraq, and later treated in Britain. Opposition Iraqi sources claim other INC members have been killed this way. A British Foreign Office spokesman states:

‘This is yet another graphic example of the brutality of Saddam Huseein’s regime…….we must continue pressure to apply all the Security Council resolutions and believe there should be no question of relaxing sanctions until that time.’

(The monthly death rate of children under five in Iraq had reached 4000 per month at the time of his statement.)

23^rd February: Douglas Hurd assures his Kuwaiti counterpart Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah that Britain and the US remain committed to sanctions, and that it is important not to ‘…reward…’ the ‘…untrustworthy…’ Saddam Hussein.

24^th February: Madeleine Albright reasserts US opposition to lifting of sanctions, and declares the French and Soviet negotiations as ‘….wrong…’ Her comments are echoed by the British Foreign Office: ‘This is a leopard that has not changed its’ spots. Pressure has got us to where we are now and it needs to be maintained.’

1^st March: ‘The Guardian’ reports that the inspection team have unearthed Iraq’s previous plans for biological warfare, and that this is now ‘…the main obstacle to lifting economic sanctions.’

(Reports had emerged that during the 1980’s Iraq had accumulated 3.3 tons of ‘bacteria’. When UNSCOM asked for the growth media and documentation the Iraqis claimed it had all been destroyed during the uprising after the war, a story that a senior UN official described as: ‘….the most fanciful so far.’ Whitehouse Spokesman Mike McCurry stated: ‘Any modification of the sanctions regime that ameliorates the pressure that Saddam Hussein must feel is not at this time warranted.’ His comment was echoed by British Prime Minister John Major: ‘We are determined to ensure that the whole of Iraq’s biological capability is detected and destroyed before there can be any question of adjustment to the sanctions regime….we shall continue with good reason to approach sanctions rigorously in the interest of Iraq’s peoples.’)

12^th March: ‘The Sunday Times’ runs an article on the Iraqi healthcare situation, entitled ‘A day in the life of Dr. Tariq Abbas Hady.’ Hady is quoted:

‘Being in casualty is like living in a nightmare. The severe shortage of drugs means we can do very little to help. Children die in front of me. The parents ask why and I can not answer them. Each night I pray for the embargo to be lifted.’

16^th March: After Iraqi deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz had met the Pope, the Vatican issue a statement declaring that sanctions must not be used to punish a people.

March: The Sanctions review upholds the embargo, despite general acknowledgement that Ekeus has made ‘…very considerable progress…’ with UNSCOM’s mandate to disarm Iraq.

The CIA reportedly ask Congress to approve funding for a further $12 million to continue covert operations against Iraq. No mention is made of which UN resolutions support acts of covert terrorism against a fellow UN member state.

April: Medical Aid for Iraq make another visit to the country to deliver medicines. Their subsequent report confirms all their previous findings and increased incidences of disease, and notes that children now die at home as there is no point taking them to hospitals, and that child blindness is on the increase due to lack of Vitamin A.

‘The situation has deteriorated yet further. Morale is extremely low, and there is no expectation of improvement. A severe deterioration in conditions continues to affect all hospitals. Malnutrition is even more widespread amongst children than it was six months ago.’

14^th April: SCR 986 is passed unanimously.

SCR 986, the so called ‘Oil for Food’ programme, allows Iraq to sell a limited amount of oil to buy food and medicines, but not much else. Repair of infrastructure is essentially still prohibited. Under the programme Iraq can sell up to $2 billion worth of oil every six months. The revenue is to be paid into a UN controlled escrow account, and from it 30% deducted for compensation claims, and 2.2% deducted for the running of the programme. UN personnel stationed in Iraq, in co-operation with Iraqi workers, will distribute supplies purchased.

(Some UN member states, including Russia, China, France and Indonesia, had called for a complete lifting of sanctions. ‘The Independent’ quoted French and Russian diplomats in its’ article of April 14^th as saying: ‘ [There is no point in adopting a resolution merely as]…..a public relations tool enabling the US and Britain to continue blaming Iraq for hardships caused by sanctions…’

The implementation of SCR 986 was tortuous. It wasn’t until March 20^th 1997 that the first shipment of food actually arrived in Iraq: 125 tons of chickpeas and vegetable ghee. The practical problems of a low oil price and the dilapidated state of Iraq’s oil facilities compounded the lack of revenue Iraq was able to raise.

Simons makes the point that Iraq was not a member of the Security Council and had no say in the drafting process, which was drawn up by American officials. Could it be reasonably expected to sacrifice its’ principal asset to the administration of the same country that publicly stated on many occasions its’ dedication to the overthrow of the regime? Iraq, in a desperate position, eventually agreed to negotiate. [See May 20^th 1996])

May: Again the sanctions committee upholds the embargo following Ekeus’ testimony that he was unable to obtain satisfactory explanations as to the whereabouts of 17 tons of material involved in Bio-weapon manufacture. No mention is made of the fact that this material was acquired from Western companies in the 1980’s. Baghdad begins to re-appraise its’ relationship with the UN, and seeing no end in sight begins to challenge UNSCOM’s authority.

(Rolf Ekeus had stated: ‘Our conclusion, and what we will present to the Security Council, is that we feel confident that, with the exception of the biological area, Iraq will not be able to develop any weapons of mass destruction or long range missiles without being detected by the international controls.’)

Due to lack of donor pledges, the UN’s own aid programme had been reduced by 50%. The WFP predicts that by the end of the month most food stocks will be exhausted. The FAO also reports that the worsening hard currency crisis has resulted in higher free market prices and a further erosion in the low purchasing power of average families to supplement the ration.

June: Saddam Hussein chairs a meeting of the Ba’ath Party Pan-Arab and Regional leaders. They announce that future attitudes to the UN would depend on the report Ekeus is due to present to the Security Council on June 19^th. Any further co-operation of Bio-weapons would be dependent on UN recognition of previous co-operation in other weapons fields.

The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation again warns of famine conditions in Iraq. Reports of minor skirmishes on the outskirts of Baghdad shore up Western resolve to keep sanctions in place, as it appears that Iraq is collapsing, despite in-fighting amongst Iraqi opposition groups.

July: Early in the month Turkey again invades Northern Iraq in attempt to crush Kurdish separatists.

(Simons makes the very reasonable point about double standards. Invasion across a recognised border was the rationale behind the US led attack on Iraq, yet it completely ignored Turkish aggression, who were armed with NATO supplied weapons, and imposed no sanctions upon them.)

An appeal by the UN Inter-Agency Programme that emphasises that Iraq’s food needs can not be met ‘….solely through humanitarian assistance programmes’. The FAO confirms the situation in its’ July 11^th ‘Food crops and Shortages’ report:

‘The deterioration of the economic situation in the country and lack of foreign exchange will result in a further reduction of food imports in 1995. This, coupled with below normal domestic production, will result in a sharp decline in the country’s per capita food supply.’

It again emphasises the inadequacy of the humanitarian assistance programmes.

On the 27^th anniversary of the Ba’ath Party’s coming to power, Saddam declares: ‘Iraq can no longer comply with Security Council resolutions or co-operate with UNSCOM without linking these steps to the lifting of the embargo.’ It is observed that the statement contains no deadline for progress on this issue.

20^th July: Completely contradicting previous statements made to UNSCOM about having not developed a comprehensive biological warfare programme in the 1980’s, including large quantities of concentrated anthrax, and having promised to provide a full and detailed document of the programmes by the end of the month, Iraq submits its’ report on its’ pre-war biological activities. It also agrees to destroy the facilities in question.

(Despite the Iraqi revelations, and contradictory claim that all its’ biological capability had been destroyed by them in October 1990, Rolf Ekeus commented: ‘At last we have come to a situation where Iraq voluntarily and actively provides the Commission with information.’)

August: Two high ranking Iraqi officials, and sons-in-law of Saddam, flee to Jordan. Hussein Kamel, no stranger to internal repression, states: ‘We will seriously and continuously work towards changing the existing system.’ He calls on officers in the army and Republican Guard, and all govt. officials to ‘…be prepared for the coming change which will turn Iraq in to something modern.’

18^th August: After the US purportedly detects new hostile military moves in Iraq, Washington pledges to defend Jordan from any Iraqi threat. US intelligence agents rush to Amman to interview the defectors. US Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Pelletrau, and National Security Officer Mark Parris attempt to persuade King Hussein to sever all remaining links with Iraq. Hussein welcomes the defections, but refuses to close the border.

‘This is a matter that we do not contemplate because we are with the people of Iraq as much as we can until the long night of their suffering ends.’

24^th August: ‘The Times’, in an article about the recent Iraqi revelations of a previous biological programme, quotes Rolf Ekeus: ‘The Iraqi leadership declared to me that its’ policy from now on is 100% implementation of the cease-fire arrangements. [SCR 687] So, with that, the Security Council, all members without exception, should have no choice about lifting the embargo.’

(Ekeus had urged Baghdad not to ‘…slam the door when we are so close to the end…’)

25^th August: Madeleine Albright announces that due to recent revelations by the defectors about weapons concealment tactics, an ending of sanctions will be later rather than sooner.

French Deputy Yves Bonnet visits Iraq, where by now 100 under 5’s are dying every day, primarily from malnutrition and its’ related diseases, and 200 over 5’s from heart problems, diabetes, renal and liver disease, and leukaemia. The experience prompts him to state:

‘I am filled with shame and anger at myself, at my cowardice, my silence, my complicity with those, who, despite their claims to the contrary, have killed hundreds of thousands of civilians, without incurring the wrath of the [war crimes] tribunal of The Hague, implacably going about their dirty, evil work.’

26^th September: The UN World Food programme publishes its’ news update:

‘Alarming food shortages are causing irreparable damage to an entire generation of Iraqi children.’

Dieter Hannusch, WFP’s Chief Emergency Support Officer states in the report:

"After 24 years in the field, mostly in Africa starting with Biafra, I didn’t think anything could shock me, but this was comparable to the worst scenarios I have ever seen."

Mona Hamman, WFP’s Regional Manager states:

"There are actually more than four million people, a fifth of Iraq’s population, at severe nutritional risk. That number includes 2.4 million children under five, about 600,000 pregnant/nursing women and destitute women heads of households, as well as hundreds of thousands of elderly without anyone to help them. 70% of the population has little or no access to food…..nearly everyone seems to be emaciated. We are at the point of no return in Iraq. The social fabric of the nation is disintegrating. People have exhausted their ability to cope."

(A subsequent FAO report that assessed the period 25^th July to September 1^st noted a worsening situation, with only 34% of nutritional needs being met. Their previous study in mid 1993 had cited 45.7% of nutritional needs met. It noted additionally that education provision was being hit hard: ‘….every year it has become increasingly difficult to meet the educational requirements. The ongoing embargo has had a profound psychological impact on most pupils and students, as well as their teachers. The UN Sanctions Committee refused to permit a Pakistani company to supply Iraq with a quantity of lead pencils to be used by pupils and students. It has become difficult to supply school chairs, blackboards, pens, chalk and school copybooks.’)

At the end of the month a Pentagon official states: ‘We simply do not know if he is testing us, planning an attack on Kuwait or planning to murder more of his own people. Any action by him is madness, but then he’s mad, so who knows?’

11^th October: Rolf Ekeus reports to the Security Council that the Iraqi regime had concealed vast amounts of data on its’ chemical, biological and nuclear programmes. Madeleine Albright describes the observations as ‘…chilling…’, and a British official notes that the Iraqis had ‘…made a nonsense…’ of UNSCOM’s work.

(The continuing compliance/non-compliance argument continued. Ekeus’ statements seemed highly contradictory. Simons points out the Western view that even if Iraq complied with UNSCOM, it was still not to be trusted. He also describes a farcical event where a corroded ‘gadget’ was fished out of the Tigris river, and a Washington spokesman said: ‘Believe me, it contains very sophisticated technology.’)

14^th October: ‘The Guardian’ reports: ‘It is generally agreed that Iraq has already destroyed all of its’ weapons of mass destruction, either under UN supervision, or in anticipation of allied bombing raids.’

18^th October: ‘The Guardian’ features an article in which an unnamed Western diplomat is quoted as saying: ‘Our policy is to keep Iraq in its’ box.’

2^nd December: Medical Journal ‘The Lancet’ reports: ‘Findings illustrate a strong association between economic sanctions and increase in child mortality and malnutrition rates. The moral, financial and political standing of an international community intent on maintaining sanctions is challenged by the estimate that since August 1990, 567,000 children in Iraq have died as a consequence.’

4^th December : British newspaper ‘The Independent’ reports: ‘The Red Cross has strongly criticised the ‘…dire effects…’ of sanctions on civilians. There is chronic hunger, with 20,000 new cases of child malnutrition every month.’

(This situation continued into 1996. UN organisations, the WFP, WHO, FAO and UNICEF all drew attention to the worsening crisis in the country, whilst two other arms of the UN, the Security Council and the Sanctions Committee, maintained it. Secretary General Boutros-Ghali acknowledged the plight of the Iraqi people in his end of year report:

‘Health conditions have continued to deteriorate throughout the country because of shortages of essential drugs and medical supplies…..children are increasingly dying of ailments linked to malnutrition and inadequate medical care.’)

By the end of the year, according to Iraqi / UNICEF figures, the cumulative death toll for children under 12 had reached 642,357.