Gulf states help U.S. vs Iraq oil smuggling
SPECIAL TO WORLD TRIBUNE.COM
Tuesday, April 17, 2001
ABU DHABI Ñ The United States has quietly obtained help from Gulf
Cooperation Council members in efforts to halt Iraqi oil smuggling.
U.S. officials said Washington has obtained the help of Kuwait and the
United Arab Emirates in the effort to enforce United Nations supervision on
Iraqi oil exports. Iraq is said to have earned $600 million in
revenues by unauthorized oil exports last year.
Over the weekend, a ship with thousands of tons of Iraqi oil sank in the
Gulf off the coast of Dubai. The vessel had a Georgia flag and was heading
for Pakistan.
The UAE coast guard participated in rescuing the crew of the sunk
vessel. Vessels smuggling oil out of Iraq pass the UAE coast to destinations
in India and Africa.
Washington won cooperation from the UAE in 1998 after smuggled Iraqi oil
contaminated the coastline of the emirates. Many of the vessels used to
smuggle Iraqi oil are old and leaky.
In addition, Kuwait has intensified efforts to stop vessels with
smuggled Iraqi oil.
In an unrelated incident, Kuwaiti Defense Minister Jabber Mubarak Al
Sabah said a joint investigation has been concluded into a U.S. accidental
air bombing that killed six people in the Kuwaiti desert last month. Mubarak
said the results of the probe of the mishap during a training mission would
soon be released.
Tuesday, April 17, 2001
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