For Immediate Release
May 23, 2003

Global Message

The UN Security Council, in a 14-0 vote, approved on Thursday the U.S.-U.K. resolution to lift economic sanctions on Iraq.

Key Elements of Resolution 1483:

• Lifts the sanctions burden on the Iraqi people

• Encourages the international community to assist in helping the Iraqi people build a better future for their country

• Establishes the position of a UN Special Representative who will play a vital role in all aspects of Iraq's reconstruction

• Winds down the Oil-for-Food program (OFF) over a six-month period, while providing for the continued delivery of priority civilian goods approved and funded under OFF to meet the immediate needs of the Iraqi people

• Supports Iraqis in charting their own political and economic future

• Reaffirms the Coalition's commitment to work with the UN and an Iraqi Interim Administration to transition authority to an internationally recognized, representative government of Iraq as efficiently and effectively as possible