Written question asked by Tam Dalyell (Labour) on Tuesday, 17 November 1998, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 19 November 1998. It was answered by Tony Blair (Labour) on Thursday, 19 November 1998 on behalf of the Prime Minister.

Prime Minister

Question: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 16th November, 319 c610, what the basis was for his statement about Iraqi propaganda being repeated in Britain.

Answer: Mr. Dalyell: To ask the Prime Minister, pursuant to his oral statement of 16 November 1998, Official Report, column 610, what the basis was for his statement about Iraqi propaganda being repeated in Britain. [60733] The Prime Minister: I was commenting on the tendency of some sections of the British media to report Iraqi Government information as fact. Iraq claims that the suffering of its people is due to sanctions. But the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights concluded in his October interim report that the Government of Iraq bear the primary responsibility for their continuing suffering. Reasons for this include Iraq's decision to prohibit shipments of humanitarian aid from third countries and its decision to stop supplying its food ration to the Iraqi people. Iraq complains that its people are starving, but it is selling wheat and barley to Jordan and Syria at low prices.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: 319 c750W; 60733
Session: 1997-98
Subjects: Humanitarian aid Iraq Media Sanctions UN Commission on Human Rights Propaganda