The United Nations Office for the Iraq
Programme announced today that the Government of the United States had
lifted its holds on contracts totaling $112 million under Iraq's "oil-for-food"
programme.
According to the UN office, the US Government
lifted holds on 69 contracts and placed holds on seven other contracts
worth $7.6 million, lowering the total level of holds to $1.67 billion.
The contracts were mostly for humanitarian projects, but included $15.6 million worth of contracts in the oil sector, for heavy machinery and spare parts.