- Title: UN - UN SECURITY COUNCIL DECIDE TO RETAIN ECONOMIC SANCTIONS AGAINST IRAQ
- Date: 15th November 1994
- Summary: UNITED NATIONS (NOVEMBER 15, 1994) 1. SV/ZOOM-OUT/LV UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI AND IRAQ DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER TAREQ AZIZ POSING FOR CAMERAS 0.07 2. SV/PAN BOUTROS-GHALI AND OFFICIALS MEETING IRAQI OFFICIALS SEATED AT TABLE 0.11 3. MCU MADELEINE ALBRIGHT SAYING "THE SECURITY COUNCIL HAD MET AND DECIDED TO CONTINUE WITH SANCTIONS WITH NO CHANGE." 0.25 4. MCU/CU MAP OF IRAQ SHOWING IN BLUE NUMBER OF PALACES AND PRIVATE RESIDENCES PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSSEIN BUILT SINCE THE GULF WAR AND IN RED THE NUMBER OF PALACES AND OTHER LUXURY BUILDINGS BUILT BEFORE THE WAR. 0.35 5.MCU/LV SIR DAVID HANNAY, BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO U.N. SAYING IRAQ'S EXPENDITURE OF MONIES BY SADDAM'S FAMILY WAS EXTRAORDINARY (ENGLISH) (2 SHOTS) 0.51 6. MCU/SV AZIZ SAYING IT IS RUBBISH. EVERY GOVERNMENT HAD A PALACE FOR ITS HEAD OF STATE, IRAQ IS A COUNTRY WITH GREAT BUILDERS. THIS IS NATIONAL SYMBOL OF WHICH WE ARE PROUD, IT HAS BEEN REBUILT AS WELL AS ALL THE OTHER BUILDINGS DESTROYED IN THE WAR (ENGLISH) (2 SHOTS) 1.39 TRANSCRIPT OF SEQUENCE 5 :HANNAY : " THE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS DID REVEAL THAT THESE BUILDINGS ARE NO FARM HOUSES OR LITTLE COTTAGES THEY ARE SOMETHING BUILT ON QUITE A DIFFERENT SCALE FROM THAT,AND IS A GREAT DEAL CLOSER TO VERSAILLES THAN IT IS TO ANYTHING ELSE." TRANSCRIPT OF SEQUENCE 6: AZIZ: " THAT'S RUBBISH EVERY GOVERNMENT HAS A PALACE FOR ITS HEAD OF STATE AND IRAQ IS A COUNTRY THAT HAS GREAT BUILDERS. WE HAVE NOT ONLY BUILT PALACES, WE HAVE BUILT BRIDGES AND HAVE BUILT HOSPITALS AND REFINERIES AND POWER STATIONS THAT WERE BOMBED DURING THE WAR THIS IS A NATIONAL SYMBOL AND IT HAS TO BE REBUILT AND WE ARE PROUD THAT THE PRESIDENTIAL PALACE AS WELL AS ALL THE SITES THAT HAVE BEEN BOMBED DURING THE WAR HAVE BEEN REBUILT." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
- Embargoed: 30th November 1994 12:00
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- Location: UNITED NATIONS
- Reuters ID: LVAD4I9R2B6EV94PYNVA7R64CQ9R
- Story Text: The United Nations Security Council on Tuesday (November 15) decided to retain economic sanctions against Iraq.
The United States, in an effort to quash concerns about hardship endured by Iraqis under the sanctions, accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on "pleasure palaces." U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Madeleine Albright confirmed that after discussing all the issues in detail, including Iraq's letter recognising Kuwait, the council had decided to retain sanctions.
British Ambassador to the U.N. Sir David Hannay said the monies spent by Saddam's family on palaces was extraordinary.
Hannay said the U.S. presented a closed session of the council on Monday, aerial photographs showing "an extraordinary expenditure of monies" on palaces and Saddam Hussein's private property since the end of the war.
Hannay said the photographs show these structures "were not farmhouses or cottages. They are built on a scale a great deal closer to Versailles than anything else".
The photographs were not released to the press. But the United States mission to the U.N. released a map showing where it said Saddam Hussein had built palaces and other expensive structures while insisting that sanctions were denying many Iraqis minimal food and medicine.
Commenting on the accusation that Saddam had built pleasure palaces in Iraq while his people struggled under sanctions, Iraq Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said it was rubbish.
He said Iraq had a strong building industry which had built power plants, refineries, hospitals and public buildings.
He said it was usual for governments to build palaces for their heads of state and the situation in Iraq was no different.
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