UNITED NATIONS, Dec 2: United Secretary General Kofi Annan has urged the Security Council to allow Iraq to sell higher quantity of oil to enable it to buy more food and medicines, admitting that the present amount has failed to alleviate the sufferings of the Iraqis. However, he stopped short of recommending a specific figure, leaving that to be hammered out in the Council. Diplomats say the United Nations officials had favoured doubling the quantity of oil, Iraq is allowed to sell at present.

He was at one stage said to be considering recommending that Baghdad be allowed to export oil worth $3 billion over next six month period against the existing export worth $2.14 billion. The United States says it is not averse to studying ways to improve the programme.

Asking the council to re-examine the adequacy of the programme, Annan says at the present scale, it would be insufficient to address, even as a temporary measure, all the humanitarian needs of the people.

In a report to the council, Annan also calls for ``systematic review of the whole process of contracting, processing of applications, approvals, procurement and shipment and distribution of items concerned.''

Each contract for sale of oil and for import of items by Iraq must be approved by the sanctions committee on which all Security Council members are represented.

Iraq has often complained, and diplomats say quite legitimately, the process is very slow and it takes months for items to start flowing into the country even after the contacts are approved.

Annan referred to the report by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) which says the rate of acute malnutrition or wasting in children up to five years of age is eleven per cent while chronic malnutrition, which results in stunting, affects thirty one per cent.

Meanwhile in Baghdad, Foreign Minister Mohammad Said Al-Sahhaf said his government had informed the UN that it agreed ``in principle'' to renewing the deal when it expires on December 5.

``But we think the same crippled way of implementing this so-called humanitarian programme will be a loss of time and money,'' added Sahhaf.

The foreign minister also called on the United States to pull back its forces deployed in the Gulf region.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.