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To: Snewts who wrote (6174)	12/28/1997 8:17:00 AM
From: Teddy	Read Replies (3) \| Respond to of 95453

Updated 10:51 PM ET December 27, 1997 Iraq Says it Soon Will Resume Oil Exporting By Hassan Hafidh BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) - Oil minister Amir Muhammad Rasheed said on Saturday that Iraq expected to resume oil exports under its oil-for-food deal with the U.N. within a week. Rasheed, speaking to reporters after holding talks with Jordan's energy minister Mohammed al-Hourani, also said Iraq's aid distribution plan was sent two days ago to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan for approval. "The distribution plan was agreed upon by representatives from the Iraqi government and those of the (U.N.) Secretary- General in Baghdad last week and it was sent to him two days ago," Rasheed said. He said Iraq would not start oil exports until Annan approved the plan. The U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Baghdad Denis Halliday said last Monday that Iraq had handed him the plan. The oil pact, which went into effect a year ago, allows Iraq to export $2 billion worth of oil over six months to buy food, medicine and other essentials for Iraqis, suffering under sanctions imposed after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The second phase of the accord ended on December 5 and the U.N. Security Council renewed the deal for another six months earlier this month. Rasheed said Iraq would give priority in signing oil contracts for the third phase of the deal to friendly countries and companies. "France, Russia and China will be at the top of the list," he said. These three countries, which used to have lucrative trade with Baghdad before the 1991 Gulf War, advocate an end to the sanctions. Halliday said Annan would submit to the Security Council in January a report which would contain recommendations on procedural and process improvement plus a recommendation for increased oil revenues for the oil deal. Rasheed said his country had not asked for increased revenues but if the "Security Council asks Iraq for such an increase the Iraqi government would study it and take a decision." He criticized the United States and blamed it for blocking food and medicine contracts. Iraq's current revenue from the partial oil sales after setting aside 30 percent for Gulf War reparations and other U.N. costs will be about $1.3 billion, of which $906 million is earmarked for food and $210 million for medicine. The rest will go for education, electricity supply repairs and spare parts for water sanitation systems and agriculture machinery.