Iraq to resume pumping oil

by The Associated Press

Iraq will resume pumping oil for export on Dec. 15 or Dec. 16 after a three-week stoppage, an Oil Ministry official said Dec. 12. The announcement came after the U.N. Security Council voted Dec. 10 to extend its oil-for-food program, which allows Iraq to sell $5.26 billion in oil over six months to buy humanitarian goods. The extension of the program was held up while the Security Council debated a comprehensive policy on Iraq.

On Dec. 10, the council decided to put to vote a final British-drafted resolution offering Iraq the possibility of suspending the sanctions. In return, Iraq would have to allow the resumption of weapons inspections.

A U.N. certification that Iraq no longer possesses weapons of mass destruction was the original condition for the lifting of the sanctions. But U.N. weapons inspectors left Iraq Dec. 16, 1998, just before the United States and Britain launched air strikes to punish Baghdad for failing to cooperate with their efforts.