SECOND REPORT
The International Development Committee has agreed
to the following Report:—
THE FUTURE OF SANCTIONS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Following a ten-month inquiry into the future of
sanctions, the International Development Committee has concluded
that, although sanctions may well represent a low-cost alternative
to war in financial terms, they are all too often as damaging
— in humanitarian and developmental terms — as armed
conflict. The Committee is particularly concerned at the impact
of comprehensive economic sanctions and regional sanctions regimes.
Those who should be targeted, the political leaders
and elites who have flouted international law, continue to enrich
themselves. Much discussion has taken place of targeted sanctions,
in particular financial sanctions, as a 'smarter' and more just
approach. We conclude, however, that neither the United Kingdom
nor the international community have made real efforts to introduce
such sanctions. There has been much talk but little action.
Comprehensive Economic Sanctions — Iraq
(paras 17-42)
There is a clear consensus that the humanitarian
and developmental situation in Iraq has deteriorated seriously
since the imposition of comprehensive economic sanctions whilst,
at the same time, sanctions have clearly failed to hurt those
responsible for past violations of international law as Saddam
Hussein and his ruling elite continue to enjoy a privileged existence.
Not all this humanitarian distress is the direct
result of the sanctions regime. It appears that Saddam Hussein
is quite prepared to manipulate the sanctions regime and the exemptions
scheme to his own ends, even if that involves hurting ordinary
Iraqi people. This does not, however, entirely excuse the international
community from a part in the suffering of Iraqis. A sanctions
regime which relies on the good faith of Saddam Hussein is fundamentally
flawed.
Whatever the wisdom of the original imposition of
sanctions, careful thought must now be given as to how to move
from the current impasse without giving succour to Saddam Hussein
and his friends. Any move away from comprehensive sanctions should
go hand in hand with measures designed to target the real culprits,
not the poor of Iraq but their leadership. Possibilities include
a concerted attempt to target and either freeze or sequester the
assets of Saddam Hussein and those connected to him, and the indictment
of Saddam Hussein and his close associates as war criminals.
We find it difficult to believe that there will be
a case in the future where the UN would be justified in imposing
comprehensive economic sanctions on a country. In an increasingly
interdependent world such sanctions cause significant suffering.
However carefully exemptions are planned, the fact is that comprehensive
economic sanctions only further concentrate power in the hands
of the ruling elite. The UN will lose credibility if it advocates
the rights of the poor whilst at the same time causing, if only
indirectly, their further impoverishment.
Regional Sanctions Regimes (paras 43-50)
Regional sanctions regimes have also resulted in
catastrophic humanitarian consequences, most notably in the cases
of Burundi and Sierra Leone. In both cases regional governments
or organisations failed to ensure that humanitarian goods and
services were allowed into the countries. The UN has a duty to
monitor regional sanctions regimes and intervene when human rights
are ignored or humanitarian needs neglected. The Committee criticises
the UN for failing to intervene promptly when regional sanctions
against Burundi and Sierra Leone were obviously failing to take
account of humanitarian needs.
Improving Sanctions (paras 60-142)
The Committee has considered a number of proposals
to make sanctions "smarter". These include financial
sanctions and arms embargoes.
FINANCIAL SANCTIONS
If sanctions are to be retained as a credible instrument
of foreign policy, they must increasingly seek to target the assets
of specific groups or individuals responsible for breaches of
international law. The Committee has found that whilst targeted
financial sanctions appear to be workable, there remain serious
practical difficulties in the tracking and location of financial
transactions. At an international level, we find it totally unacceptable
that there is no individual or body with overall responsibility
for targeting financial sanctions. Major efforts will be needed
to ensure that policy objectives are translated into practice
including significant advances in intelligence gathering procedures,
technical capacity and political will. The Committee recommends
that the United Kingdom argue and gather support for the establishment
of a properly staffed and financed sanctions unit within the United
Nations to receive and coordinate information on the enforcement
of financial sanctions.
At a national level, the Committee has yet to be
convinced that enough effort is being expended by the United Kingdom
Government to ensure that financial sanctions are effectively
designed and rigorously implemented. The United Kingdom is a world
financial centre and a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
If the United Kingdom does not take financial sanctions seriously,
this fatally weakens the prospects for effective international
action. The Committee recommends that an Office of Foreign Assets
Control, on similar lines to that in the USA, be set up in the
United Kingdom.
ARMS EMBARGOES
The Committee has heard that, despite the imposition
of sanctions on the sale of diamonds from and arms to UNITA, Jonas
Savimbi has earned between US$3 and US$4 billion from the
sale of diamonds over the past eight years and has been receiving
between five and seven supply flights each evening. The failure
to enforce effectively the sanctions regime against UNITA is a
scandal which must be urgently addressed by the international
community.
The international community must give a higher priority
to enforcing arms embargoes in regions affected by conflict. Whilst
the Committee welcomes the extra priority that the Government
is now giving to intelligence gathering in this regard, other
UN member states should be encouraged to be more active in the
monitoring and enforcement of UN sanctions regimes.
Conclusion
The current debate on the future of sanctions is
a welcome product of the renewed international commitment to the
political, economic and social rights of the poor. We are convinced
that these rights are infringed by the blunt instrument of comprehensive
economic sanctions and find it difficult to believe that there
will be a case in the future where the UN would be justified in
imposing comprehensive economic sanctions on a country. To target
sanctions against those truly responsible, to gather the necessary
intelligence and invest in the required technology, require an
internationally coordinated investment of both money and effort.
The United Kingdom must take a lead by putting in place a system
which can target and monitor sanctions effectively, instead of
the present, somewhat casual approach. As importantly, the United
Nations should convene an international conference to ensure a
global commitment to a fairer and more effective sanctions policy.
| 
