U.S. Removes Curbs on Sale to Iraq

The Bush administration removed curbs Friday on the sale of $800 million in goods to Iraq.

The move was part of an effort to build credibility and support for a proposed major U.S.-British overhaul of the decade-old sanctions regime against Iraq, which is now being debated by the U.N. Security Council.

The so-called dual-use items, which had been on hold out of concern that they might help Iraq’s weapons programs, can now be sold to Baghdad for the benefit of the Iraqi people.

The items affected include pipes, pumps, water tankers and valves for the water and sanitation sector; pumps, drilling machines and welding equipment for the oil sector; steel-reinforced aluminum conductors for the electrical sector; a waste heat boiler for fertilizer production; and earthmoving equipment.