STATEMENT BY DEPUTY SPOKESPERSON

French Ministry of Foreign Affairs

May 15, 2002

Excerpt

The Security Council yesterday unanimously adopted resolution 1409 which is designed to improve the well-being of the Iraqi people. France, which has worked a long time for this at the United Nations, welcomes the adoption of this resolution and the unity that the Security Council demonstrated.

The previous arrangement authorized only a limited number of exports of goods to Baghdad; other than medicines and food, contracts needed prior authorization from the sanctions committee set up under resolution 661 (1990) before they could be executed. Now the reverse logic applies: except for contracts applying to recognized dual-use goods on the list annexed to resolution 1409, which will be forwarded to Committee 661 for approval, all goods can now be exported to Iraq.

This new procedure is aimed at speed, effectiveness and transparency in supplying Iraqis with civilian goods needed for the county's economy to function and living conditions for the Iraqi people to improve, while continuing to ensure that Iraq is not in a position to acquire goods that could contribute to the manufacture of weapons of mass destruction.

In this regard, I repeat that for France the priority is for the U.N. inspectors to return without delay and do their work without hindrance.