Baghdadis rejoice at UN’s lifting of sanctions

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: A large number of Baghdad citizens have expressed joy with the UN Security Council’s decision to lift economic sanctions imposed against Iraq during the regime of former President Saddam Hussein 20 years ago, minutes after the Security Council’s announcement on Wednesday. The United Nations Security Council decided to cancel all sanctions imposed on Iraq after invading Kuwait in 1990. The Council also voted to restore control of Iraq’s oil and natural gas revenue to the its government on June 30, 2011, and to terminate all remaining activities of the oil-for-food program which ran from 1996-2003 and helped ordinary Iraqis cope with sanctions. In interviews carried out by IraqiNews.com news agency after the announcement of the UN Security Council’s resolution, a number of Baghdad citizens have expressed happiness for the decision that opened the way for their country to achieve its complete sovereignty, taking place after the Council’s resolution to bring Iraq out of Article of the UN Charter, in this respect. “Iraqis have been waiting for the said resolution for 20 years,” Salah Hassan, 33, from northeast Baghdad‘s al-Shaab district, said, expressing his “deep rejoice, because the resolution shall open the door wide-open for the improvement of the conditions in the country on all levels and restoration of its complete sovereignty.” Sheima’a Shalash, 30-year-old women from east Baghdad‘s Sadr city, said: “Iraq shall restore its normal conditions after suffering from the said sanctions for years,” adding that her country “would take back its breath, after the lifting of the oppressive sanctions, that harmed its simple people for two decades.” Hussein al-Saida, 24, also from Sadr City, said that the Iraqi government’s efforts “had shared greatly in the issuance of the UN Security Council’s resolution, after proving to the UN and the whole world, its success in the dossier of mass-destruction arms and its cooperation with the UN Atomic Energy Agency and other UN missions.” Ali Auda, 44, from southwest Baghdad‘s Bayaa district,said: “Iraq has restored its freedom, similar to other countries of the Region, after lifting the UN-imposed sanctions,” expressing rejoice for getting Iraq out the UN Charter’s 7th Article, imposing economic sanctions on the country.” SKH/SR 1