Iraq suspend its oil exports to protest UN decision
02/06/2001 - 14:10:45Iraq will halt all its oil exports in protest against the UN decision to extend the ‘oil for food’ programme for a further month.
Iraq says that the move by the UN, which was a joint proposal from the US and the UK, does not comply with the spirit of the programme.
Under the project, Iraq was allowed to export a certain amount of oil per year in exchange for humanitarian goods under the supervision of the UN.
However, Iraq, which has the worlds second largest oil reserves, also earned a suspected one billion dollars from oil that was smuggled out of the country.
The suspension of exports will lower the oil prices of on the world markets.
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