The United States expressed its appreciation to the U. N. Security Council May 22 following the overwhelming vote by 14 to 0 vote of the 15-member council to approve the resolution lifting the sanctions imposed on Iraq since 1991. The other council member, Syria, did not attend the meeting.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte called the decision a "momentous event for the people of Iraq."

"After more than a decade of being frozen out of the world economy, it is time for the Iraqi people to benefit from their natural resources," he said.

Negroponte said the resolution establishes, among other things, a framework for an orderly phase-out of the Oil-for-Food program, establishes transparency in monitoring the sale of Iraqi oil resources, and lifts export restrictions to Iraq, with the exception of trade in arms.

He thanked the United Nations for playing a vital role in rebuilding Iraq. "The resolution affirms our commitment to the development of an internationally recognized, representative government of Iraq," Negroponte said.

May 22, 2003

Thank you Mr. President, Mr. Secretary-General. The lifting of sanctions marks a momentous event for the people of Iraq. It is the turning of a historical page that should brighten the future of a people and a region.

The threatening actions and defiance of Saddam Hussein's brutal regime prolonged the imposition of sanctions for nearly 13 years. Those sanctions have now been lifted. The liberation of Iraq has cleared the path for today's action. We all witnessed an Iraqi state under Saddam Hussein that was unwilling adequately to feed its people, a state in which critical infrastructure projects were left to languish while luxurious palaces were built, and a state in which free political expression was cruelly repressed and punished. Together, this Council has taken decisive action to help the Iraqi people.

My government called for this vote this morning because we firmly believed that each additional day of debate over the language of this important text would further hinder recovery. The gas lines are long, despite blessedly little damage to Iraq's residual infrastructure. After more than a decade of being frozen out of the world economy, it is time for the Iraqi people to benefit from their natural resources.

President Bush and Prime Minister Blair said last month at Hillsborough that the United Nations should play a vital role in rebuilding Iraq.

In passing this resolution, we have achieved much for the Iraqi people. By recognizing the fluidity of the political situation and that decisions will be made on the ground, the Security Council has provided a flexible framework under Chapter VII for the Coalition Provisional Authority, member states, the United Nations and others in the international community to participate in the administration and reconstruction of Iraq and to assist the Iraqi people in determining their political future, establishing new institutions, and restoring economic prosperity to the country.

The resolution affirms our commitment to the development of an internationally recognized, representative government of Iraq. It creates a robust mandate for a Special Representative of the Secretary General, including to work with the people of Iraq, the Authority, and others concerned -- including neighboring states -- to help make this vision a reality.

The resolution establishes a framework for an orderly phase-out of the Oil-for-Food program, thereby preserving, for a transitional period, what has become an important safety net for the people of Iraq.

The resolution establishes transparency in all processes and United Nations participation in monitoring the sale of Iraqi oil resources and expenditure of oil proceeds. In that context, I am pleased to announce the creation of the Development Fund for Iraq in the Central Bank of Iraq. As the resolution underlines, the Authority will disburse the funds only for the purposes it determines to benefit the Iraqi people.

The resolution lifts export restrictions to Iraq, with the exception of trade in arms and related materiel not required by the Coalition Provisional Authority. Aviation restrictions are also lifted, but Iraq's disarmament obligations remain and member states remain barred from assisting Iraq in acquiring weapons of mass destruction, proscribed missile systems or proceeding with civil nuclear activities so long as those restrictions remain in effect.

The resolution provides Iraq with adequate time to recover capacity eroded during the sanctions years, yet it preserves its obligations to Kuwait and others who suffered from Saddam Hussein's aggression dating from 1990. It addresses Iraq's sovereign debt, protection of Iraqi antiquities and accountability for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the previous regime. It also directs member states to act quickly to seize and return to the Iraqi people money stolen by Saddam Hussein's regime.

But, Mr. President, we cannot be complacent. Now that we have adopted this resolution, the work must begin on implementing it. The Secretariat and the new Special Representative of the Secretary General must prepare for their work on the urgent humanitarian, reconstruction and political tasks, to which it will contribute. Member states must work to fulfill the obligations and provisions contained in the resolution. For our part, in addition to our responsibilities in Iraq as leaders of the Coalition Provisional Authority, we will undertake to inform the Council on a quarterly basis of progress in implementing the resolution, in the spirit of Operational Paragraph 24.

The United States is appreciative of the constructive spirit with which the Council has considered and strengthened the provisions of the text we put forward with our co-sponsors. We look forward to working closely with all of you to implement this important decision.

Thank you very much, Mr. President.