101.   The United Nations began work Tuesday on implementing an oil-for-food agreement that Baghdad hopes will ultimately lead to the lifting of crippling international sanctions.

102.   The United Nations imposed the crippling sanctions against Yugoslavia as punishment for its support of the Bosnian Serbs in their rebellion against the Muslim-led government of Bosnia.

103.   The United States, under pressure to ease the crippling sanctions for humanitarian reasons, has backed the proposal while continuing to block efforts to lift the embargo.

104.   The U.N. Security Council has refused to lift crippling international sanctions against Iraq until it is convinced that Baghdad has complied.

105.   The United Nations has refused to lift the crippling economic sanctions until Baghdad fully discloses details of its nuclear, biological and chemical warfare programs.

106.   The United States is the main supporter of maintaining crippling economic sanctions to punish Iraq for the invasion and force it to surrender nuclear and chemical weapons.

107.   The United States and its European allies were offering Yugoslavia a suspension of crippling economic sanctions and other financial support.

108.   Turkey was expected to urge Iraq to fully comply with U.N. resolutions that would end economically crippling sanctions and help normalize ties.

109.   U.S. officials fear that Iraq may view the Americans as bargaining chips in its campaign to end crippling U.N. economic sanctions.

110.   Until all such weapons are destroyed, the United Nations will not lift the crippling economic sanctions over Iraq.