Iraq: Compliance, Sanctions, and U.S. Policy
MOST RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
President Bush’s January 29, 2002 State of the Union message painted Iraq as part of
an “axis of evil” along with North Korea and Iran, although senior U.S. officials indicate
that the United States is not planning immediate military action. On March 7, Iraq resumed
talks with the United Nations over the readmission of U.N. weapons inspectors. On March
28, at the Arab League summit in Beirut, Iraq and Kuwait took steps to reconcile.
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS
In forty reviews (at 60-day intervals) of Iraqi compliance from the end of the Gulf war
in 1991 until August 20, 1998, the U.N. Security Council maintained comprehensive
international sanctions on Iraq’s imports and exports. The primary ceasefire resolution is
Security Council Resolution 687 (April 3, 1991), requiring Iraq to end its weapons of mass
destruction programs, recognize Kuwait, account for missing Kuwaitis, return Kuwaiti
property, and end support for international terrorism. Iraq is required by Resolution 688
(April 5, 1991) to end repression of its people. (See also CRS Report RL30472, Iraq: Oilfor-
Food Program; and CRS Report RL31339, Iraq: U.S. Efforts to Change the Regime.
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
A U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM), chaired during July 1, 1997 - June 30, 1999
by Australian disarmament official Richard Butler (succeeding Rolf Ekeus), and the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) attempted to verify that Iraq had ended all its
prohibited WMD programs and to establish a long-term monitoring program to ensure that
Iraq remains free of WMD (Resolution 715, October 11, 1991). The monitoring program,
accepted by Iraq in November 1993, consisted of visitations and technical surveillance of
about 300 sites. Under Resolution 1051 (March 27, 1996), UNSCOM inspected (at point
of entry and at end-use destination) of Iraqi imports of any dual use items.
Confrontations over access to suspected WMD sites began almost as soon as UNSCOM
began operations in April 1991, prompting adoption of Resolution 707 (August 15, 1991).
That resolution required unfettered access to all sites and disclosure by Iraq of all its WMD
suppliers. During March 1996 - October 1997, Iraq impeded inspectors from entering Iraqi
security service and military facilities, and it interfered with some UNSCOM flights. These
actions prompted Resolution 1060 (June 12, 1996) and other Council statements (such as
on June 13, 1997) demanding Iraqi cooperation. Resolution 1115 (June 21, 1997) threatened
travel restrictions against Iraqi officials committing the infractions. Resolution 1134 (October
23, 1997) again threatened a travel ban and suspended sanctions reviews until April 1998.
(France, Russia, China, Egypt, and Kenya abstained.)
1997-1998 Crises. Six days after that vote, Iraq barred American UNSCOM
personnel from conducting inspections and, on November 13, 1997, expelled the Americans.
Resolution 1137 (adopted unanimously November 12, 1997), imposed travel restrictions on
Iraqi officials. (On November 13, 1997, the House adopted H.Res. 322, backing unilateral
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