UN approval for humanitarian aid program when war winds down

THE UN Security Council unanimously approved a resolution yesterday to restart the UN humanitarian programme which was providing food to 60% of Iraq’s 22 million people once the US-led war winds down.

The resolution gives Secretary-General Kofi Annan control over the humanitarian side of the UN program that uses Iraq’s oil revenues for medical supplies and food for the next 45 days.

Annan stressed that the military situation will determine how quickly the United Nations can return its staff to Iraq to begin distributing the assistance.