New U.N. relief coordinator arrives in Iraq .
Leon Barkho
BAGHDAD 1996-08-27
A new U.N. relief coordinator has arrived in Baghdad to take up the task of organising humanitarian goods distribution and to face Iraq 's continuing opposition over the number of international monitors to be involved .
U.N. and diplomatic sources said on Tuesday that Secretary- General Boutros Boutros-Ghali had appointed Italian Gualtiero Fulcheri and sent him to Iraq last week to replace Moroccan Mohamed Zejjari .
One diplomat said Iraq and U.N. were still in disagreement on how many international observers would be required to ascertain the equitable distribution of humanitarian supplies that will be procured under Baghdad 's oil deal with U.N .
" The United Nations would like to employ hundreds of foreign monitors .
Baghdad says it can only accept a few dozens , " said the diplomat .
Baghdad holds that the Iraq-U.N. memorandum of understanding on partial oil sales signed last June does not specify how many foreign observers should be stationed in Iraq .
" Observation of food supplies and their distribution are still a major issue and seems the two sides have not yet filled the gap separating them , " said another diplomat .
Iraq 's partial oil sales pact with U.N. , allowing crude exports worth $ 2 billion every six months , gives U.N. the right to supervise the purchase and distribution of food supplies in the country .
The deal is a humanitarian exception to the U.N. sanctions imposed on Iraq for invading Kuwait in 1990 which include a ban on its oil exports .
Fulcheri declined comment on the differences between the U.N. and Iraq , saying only : " There are several different things which still need to be done . "
Fulcheri started his U.N. career in 1960 and has long experience in U.N. emergency relief in Congo , Angola , Sudan and Somalia .