The United Nations office overseeing the humanitarian Oil-for-Food programme has identified over $1 billion worth of goods and supplies prioritised for delivery to Iraq over the next 45 days.

The Security Council had last week given authority to Secretary-General Kofi Annan to run the humanitarian component of the programme for 45 days and prioritise the deliveries to meet the urgent needs of the Iraqi people.

The programme was temporarily halted on March 17 following the withdrawal of all UN staff from Iraq on the eve of hostilities during its initial assessment.

It has identified more than 450 contracts for medicines, health supplies, foodstuffs, water and sanitation and other materials needing to be shipped on priority basis.

The contracts are held by suppliers from some 40 states representing almost every region of the world. The programme has asked individual UN agencies to 'adopt' the most urgently needed supplies already in transit, according to their needs, and go directly to suppliers to re-negotiate the terms for rapid delivery.

A review of the approved but not shipped contracts will then follow, with agencies again asking the suppliers to urgently identify the status of these orders and modalities for rapid delivery to Iraq.

PTI