US, UK, bar testimony from foes of Iraq sanctions

              UNITED NATIONS, Oct 4 (Reuters) - The United States and Britain this week
              barred two former U.N. officials who oppose sanctions against Iraq from
              testifying before a U.N. panel on guidelines to improve the use of embargoes,
              according to letters circulated on Wednesday. France, an opponent of
              sanctions, had requested that Hans von Sponeck and Dennis Halliday, both
              coordinators of the U.N. humanitarian programme in Iraq, address a Security
              Council working group studying ways to impose sanctions but spare civilians.

              However, the U.S. and Britain, in separate letters to Anwarul Chowdhury,
              Bangladesh"s ambassador who chairs the panel, as looking at generic sanctions
              issues, not at individual sanctions regime before it recommended to the full
              council ways to improve them. "It needs to focus on the tasks before it, and
              avoid getting side-tracked. A briefing by Mr von Sponeck and Mr Halliday
              would merely be an unhelpful distraction," the British letter said, adding
              there was little time to hear even half the experts already on the
              committee's list. The United States said that previous experts before the
              pane have had a broad overview, generally academic. In contrast the two
              former U.N. officials are "not sanctions experts and have narrow expertise in
              only one regime." Von Sponeck of Germany resigned from his post in February
              after strong pressure from the United States for his outspoken criticism of
              the sanctions. Halliday of Ireland, his predecessor left in September 1998
              after making similar criticisms and has testified before U.S. congressional
              committees. The United States and Britain have tough positions on Iraq while
              France as well as Russia and China are more sympathetic.

              ==============================

              Dear ABC News / Reuters:

              Your report stated: "Von Sponeck of Germany resigned from his post in
              February after strong pressure from the United States for his outspoken
              criticism of the sanctions."

              It is not true that von Sponeck resigned due to pressure from the US, as your
              report implies. Von Sponeck stayed at his post for months DESPITE strong
              pressure from the U.S. After his resignation, he was asked if he had been
              "forced to resign." He replied, "Yes, by my conscience."

              Rev. G. Simon Harak, S. J.
              ============================================
              Dear ABC News / Reuters:

              When the US blocked the appearance of Denis Halliday and Hans von Sponeck
              before the UN Panel on Sanctions, they stated that "the two former U.N.
              officials are 'not sanctions experts and have narrow expertise in only one
              regime.'"

              Now isn't THAT odd! They obviously had enough expertise for the US to
              support their appointment in the first place. Are we to assume that, by
              adding direct experience to that expertise they then became less competent?

              Rev. G. Simon Harak, S. J.