Iraq's donation of $10 million in oil to Turkey was approved by the U.N. Security Council's sanctions committee

September 1, 1999
Web posted at: 9:42 p.m. EDT (0142 GMT)

In this story: Seeking to embarrass United States Neighbors, not friends RELATED STORIES, SITES

By Correspondent Jane Arraf

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The U.N. Security Council's sanctions committee on Wednesday unanimously approved Iraq's donation of $10-million in oil to Turkey's earthquake victims.

The donation will not set a precedent, and Iraq's oil exports are still subject to sanctions imposed in August 1990 when Baghdad's troops invaded Kuwait.

The gift, seen by some as a dramatic gesture by Iraq, is designed not only to help its neighbor, but to aggravate the United States.

Hussein said he wanted to embarrass the U.S., which has sent nearly $9 million in aid to Turkey

Iraq's President Saddam Hussein said he wanted to embarrass the United States, which so far has sent nearly $9 million in aid to Turkey. Hussein said that if the United States sends more money, Iraq will send even more oil.

Iraq pumps its oil to world markets through a pipeline that terminates at a Turkish port.

The donated oil will be sold by Turkey to buy much-needed relief supplies.

"The Iraqi government started to pump oil from (Monday) for the next five days. On the sixth day we will continue until we reach $10 million," Sideq al-Wash of the Iraqi Red Crescent relief effort said.

Under U.N. sanctions, Iraq is limited in how much oil it is allowed to sell to buy food and medicine for its people. Iraq cannot give away its oil without permission of the United Nations, which monitors the "oil-for-food" program.

Provisions allow Iraq to sell as much as $5.26 billion of its oil every six months.

Iraq and Turkey are geographically close, but not the best of friends. A Turkish airbase is used by U.S. and British planes patrolling "no-fly zones" in the north and south of Iraq.

The zones, which were established by the West after the Gulf War to protect Kurdish and Shiite minorities from attack by the Iraqi military, are not recognized by Baghdad.

There have been almost daily clashes over the no-fly zones since Iraq began trying last December to shoot down planes.

Turkey gratefully accepted the free oil. Iraq said the gift is unconditional, with no strings attached, but the timing of the gift raises some questions.

Turkey's parliament votes later this year on whether to extend the U.S. lease on its airbase. Iraq clearly hopes that its generosity now will carry some influence later when the count is tallied.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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