They were put in place to encourage Iraq to comply with its obligations to disarm, and to return prisoners and property that it had taken during the invasion of Kuwait. New Zealand would like to see a change in approach to Iraq. There is in this instance conflict between the UN s role as protector of international peace and security, and its humanitarian role. The government has been very active for the last year in encouraging United Nations members to take a serious look at the failings of the sanctions regime. New Zealand advocates the use of smart sanctions.
Smart sanctions target the elite and minimise effects on innocent civilians.
Debate on the most effective way of implementing such measures continues. The difficulty is that other options for forcing Iraq to disarm, such as freezing Iraqi leaders overseas accounts, are still in the early stage of development. A strong arms embargo would be part of any smart sanctions policy. The Hon Phil Goff has raised the matter at Ministerial level in the United Kingdom and with his counterparts during his recent visit to the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. Senior officials have taken it up with their counterparts in the US, France, the Netherlands and Russia, among other countries.