The United States will immediately lift some economic sanctions on Baghdad, including allowing US residents to send cash to people in Iraq, Treasury Secretary John Snow said today.
"The lifting of sanctions is an essential step in providing forthe humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people and of commencing thereconstruction process," Mr Snow said. "The regime that was once the target of our economic sanctionshas been extinguished, and our mission now is to rebuild Iraq."
A US State Department official said earlier the US would submit a resolution to the UN Security Council within days, calling for the lifting of further sanctions against Iraq.
The official also stressed that, beyond lifting the sanctions, the main US objective was to define "a final role the UN can play" in the reconstruction of Iraq, and to ensure a "transparent" political process is established.
The resolution will also place Iraq's oil revenues under US control until an interim authority is established in the country, the Washington Postreported today, citing senior administration officials.
Under the US plan, the "final role" for the UN would be limited, with main control exercised by the United States and its military allies until a permanent representative Iraqi government is in place, the paper said.
It said US officials see June 3rd, the date when the UN's current 'oil for food' programme expires, as the deadline for the lifting of all UN control in the country.
AFP