For christ sake, it is a U.N. backed idea, its called Oil-for-food.
U.N. EFFORTS
Aid agencies have long warned of a humanitarian crisis in Iraq, where 12 years of economic sanctions have left some 60 percent of the 22 million people dependent on government rations distributed under the U.N.’s oil-for-food program.
The program, which began in 1996 but was suspended when war broke out, allows Iraq to sell unlimited quantities of oil to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian goods.
The governments that earlier this month blocked U.N. authority for the U.S.-British invasion want Washington to bear the financial burden of feeding and rehabilitating Iraq.
The U.N. humanitarian agencies are expected on Friday to appeal for $2.1 billion from donor nations for their planned gigantic relief program, which many governments will expect Washington and London to largely finance. More than half will go toward food.
The U.N. World Food Program hopes to get into Iraq and take over the rationing system before late April, and then run it for probably four to six months.
Iraqis have about five weeks of food left, according to estimates by the World Food Program.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/887467.asp
