The head of the Office of the Iraq Programme, Mr. Benon Sevan, has repeatedly advised the Security Council and, in November last, visiting members of the Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs, of the obstacles the Iraqi Government has put in the way of the effective operation of the Oil for Food Programme. By withholding effective co-operation from the Oil for Food Programme, through such means as politically motivated embargoes on oil sales and refusals to prioritise purchases under the programme, the Iraqi administration has contributed in large part to the shortfalls in the provision of essential supplies to the Iraqi people.