By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- The head of the Oil-for-Food program urged the U.N. Security Council April 22 to extend the special mandate of the program to early June to ensure that humanitarian supplies can be delivered to the Iraqi people.

Benon Sevan, executive director of the U.N. Office of the Iraq Program, said the international community "cannot just cut the umbilical cord" which has fed more than 14 million Iraqis since 1996.

Meeting with the council in private session, Sevan said that "the council may wish to consider extending the provisions of resolution 1472 (which authorizes use of Oil-for- Food money for emergency humanitarian aid) up to June 3, 2003 -- a simple technical rollover -- to coincide with the end of the mandate of the current phase XIII of the humanitarian program in Iraq."

Sevan oversees the Oil-for-Food program under which Iraq sells oil to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian supplies for Iraqi civilians while the U.N. sanctions regime is in place. The program was suspended March 17 when U.N. staff was withdrawn from Iraq on the eve of hostilities.

On March 28 the Security Council authorized the U.N. secretary general to make the necessary adjustments in the program in order to use the more than $9 billion in the Oil-for-Food program to provide emergency humanitarian aid to Iraqi civilians under current conditions for an initial period of 45 days, until May 12. The current mandate for the Oil-for-Food program is to expire June 3.

The program has been trying to untangle the web of contracts for a wide range of supplies -- including not only food and medicine but also such items as spare parts for Iraq's oil industry -- in order to redirect them to provide emergency food and medicine.

Sevan said that the program will be able to deliver only a small portion of aid by the May 12 deadline set in the council resolution.

He said that 11 of the 45 days were lost while the council's sanctions committee decided on procedures. Thus only a limited number of contracts, worth $454.6 million out of the $9 billion, could be processed.

"An extension of 21 days to June 3 would not only recover the 11 days lost but also provide us with the opportunity to utilize additional supplies available in the pipeline," said Sevan.

"The 45-day deadline remains the main reason for the relatively limited number of contracts that could be processed," he said.

Sevan described the task as "daunting." He said that U.N. staff had to review almost 11,000 contracts executed by the Iraqi government, containing more than 525,000 items, not only for the purpose of prioritizing them but also to determine with suppliers whether the urgently needed items could be delivered by May 12.

It has been determined that 160 contracts worth $454 million can meet that date, contracts that include $236.4 million worth of food, $119.3 million for electricity, and $53.1 million for health needs.

Before the war 560,000 metric tons of food rations, valued at $212 million, were being delivered nationwide every month, Sevan reported. Over 90 percent of the population relied on the monthly food basket, and it was the main source of food for 60 percent of Iraqis.

Sevan also pointed out that "reliance will not stop as of 3 June 2003," when the current mandate ends. "If anything, with the current uncertainties and difficulties, the Iraqi people will be even more dependent unless there is quick economic recovery," he said.

He appealed to the council to introduce changes to the program gradually in order to avoid further disruptions in the day-to-day lives of the Iraqi people.

Security Council President Ambassador Adolfo Aguilar Zinser of Mexico said that a draft resolution has been given to council members that would extend the current Oil-for-Food operation until June 3. The president said he was hopeful that a decision on the technical rollover could be taken by the end of the week.