51.   Iraq rejected the UN resolution authorizing the oil sales, saying that UN monitoring of the exports violated Iraqi sovereignty.

52.   Russia warned Saturday that the establishment of a Turkish security zone in Iraqi Kurdistan would seriously violate Iraqi sovereignty and may further destabilise the situation in the region.

53.   The Chinese spokesman also said that the principle of Iraqi sovereignty should be respected.

54.   The draft however was dismissed by French diplomats as an empty gesture and similar measures have been rejected by Baghdad in the past as a violation of Iraqi sovereignty.