U.N. Security Council Resolutions and UNSCOM

U.N. Security Council Resolution 778

Enacted on October 2, 1992, this resolution puts teeth into the embargo against Iraq following the Gulf War.

The provisions are quite simple. All funds received by U.N. countries from oil assets in Iraq are to be placed in escrow (up to $200 million each). The funds are then to be used to pay for:

expense incurred to verify Iraqi weapons destruction
provide humanitarian assistance on a non-partisan basis
handle claims of the U.N. Compensation Commission in Geneva, Switzerland

Member donations are accepted and will be returned with interest as funds are recieved from future oil sales from Iraq. Also, no member state is to fund more than half of the total transfers or contributions to the escrow account.

Inspections under the directive by UNSCOM began in May of 1991.

U.N. Resolution 687, April 3, 1991

At the conclusion of the Gulf War, and as part of the cease-fire agreement, U.N. Security Council Resolution 687 specified that Iraq was to declare and destroy all weapons of mass destruction, including biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons systems. This includes delivery systems capable of threatening Iraqi neighbors.

The resolution also empowers the United Nations to provide for a means of verifying the compliance (see UNSCR 778 above).

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