Norway is expected to be named on January 4th as head of the U.N. Security Council’s committee that monitors sanctions on Iraq, according to diplomats.
Breaking with tradition, however, Oslo will not also chair the U.N. compensation commission, the Geneva-based body that studies damages resulting from the 1991 Gulf War.
In the past, both panels have been headed by the same country, but Russia had reportedly raised objections to this trend for unknown reasons. Norwegian Ambassador to the U.N. Peter Kolby said that: “We have been informed that the council would like Norway to do the [Iraqi sanctions] committee.
If that’s the case, we will accept. But we have not been asked to do the compensation commission.” The Netherlands had previously chaired the Iraqi sanctions committee during its two-year term on the council, which ended last week.
Norway is beginning its two-year term as one of five new rotating non-permanent council members along with Ireland, Colombia, Mauritius and Singapore, replacing outgoing members Canada, Argentina, Namibia, Malaysia and The Netherlands.
Ireland is to head the council’s sanctions committee on Angola, while Colombia will chair the sanctions committee on Afghanistan, where arms and flight bans have been levied against the country’s Taliban rulers.
In a last minute switch, Singapore will take the reigns of the sanctions committee on Liberia, which is currently under an arms embargo and, if the U.S. gets its way, will also see a ban on diamond exports.
Washington and London consider the Liberia assignment a top priority for the council and preferred Singapore, which has more staff and resources to dedicate to the post.
Mauritius will now preside over an arms embargo against Ethiopia and Eritrea, which Washington would like to see lifted after the two signed a peace pact to end a two-year border war.
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
