United Nations, Apr 16: The United Nations has identified priority humanitarian supplies worth about 395 million US dollars which can be shipped to Iraq within the May 12 deadline set by the Security Council for the modified `oil-for-food` programme. Most of these goods were already in transit from the countries, from where they were purchased by Iraq, when the war started and would now be diverted to ports in Turkey, Kuwait, Syria and Jordan to be sent by road to Iraq.
Among the goods are food items worth 181.7 million US dollars, agricultural goods worth 103.8 million US dollars and health supplies worth 46.1 million US dollars. The Office of the Iraq Programme (OIP), which runs the oil-for-food operation, said it is continuing a "race against the clock", together with six UN agencies and organisations, to identify priority items specified by the council - food, medicines, health supplies, water and sanitation equipment - that can be sent by May 12 as required in the council resolution.
The oil-for-food programme, which allowed Iraq to use part of its oil revenues to buy humanitarian supplies, was temporarily halted on March 17 after the withdrawal of all UN staff from Iraq on the eve of US-led military action. On March 28, the council placed the progarmme under Secretary General Kofi Annan for 45 days and allowed him to identify and prioritise supplies. Bureau Report