United Nations: Iraq has renewed its request that it be allowed to pay its dues to the United Nations, amounting to $ 12.4 million, from the revenues generated by the UN-administered 'oil-for-food' programme, but the United States immediately rejected it.

The request was renewed in a letter by Iraq's UN Ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri to the secretary-general Kofi Annan in which he also accused the United States and Britain of planning to commit aggression against his country.

The letter said the surplus from the 'oil-for-food' programme could be used to pay the dues. Iraq at present cannot vote in the UN General Assembly because of arrears.

The UN Security Council had rejected a similar request made earlier and the United States made it clear that the new request would also meet the same fate.

Richard Grenell, a spokesman for the US Mission, said the resolution establishing the programme authorises use of money only to alleviate the suffering of the people and hence cannot be used to pay the dues.

The Security Council established the 'oil-for-food' programme in 1996 after independent reports said the populace were suffering from severe shortages of food and medical supplies in the wake of embargo imposed in 1990 on Iraq after it attacked Kuwait.

Under the progarmme, Iraq can sell any amount of oil and buy food, medicines and other humanitarian supplies from the revenues generated but each contract for sale of oil and purchase of supplies has to be approved by a committee of the Council in which the US and Britain have a major say.

Parts of the sale revenues are used to compensate victims of Iraqi aggression.

PTI