Global Policy Forum

By John Pienaar and Leonard Doyle

Britain will veto any UN attempt to weaken sanctions against Iraq ''for so long as Saddam Hussein remains in power'', John Major told the Scottish Conservative Party conference last night.

The Prime Minister's remarks caused little surprise at the UN, where it has long been felt that the coalition allies were moving the goalposts to drive President Saddam from power. It has become clear that the sanctions put in place to force Iraq out of Kuwait are now being used to overthrow President Saddam. Mr Major's statement comes at a time of growing unease at the UN that the allies' hard line against the Iraqi leader is beginning to take a toll of hunger and disease among Iraq's civilian population.

United Nations relief agencies have been told bluntly that British public and parliamentary opinion is ''not sympathetic'' to an appeal for humanitarian relief while President Saddam remains in power.

The message was given by Britain's UN representative, Sir David Hannay, according to senior diplomatic sources, and has been backed up by the harsh line being taken by London and Washington in response to Iraq's request that $ 1bn of its assets overseas be unfrozen so it might buy basic foodstuffs. Britain and the US demanded that Iraq proves that it does not have enough bullion and foreign exchange in Baghdad to buy the food. The UN has said that it urgently needs $ 178m ( pounds 104m) for Iraq, but less than 20 per cent has been forthcoming.

Unicef and the World Health Organisation have already warned Western governments of a potentially disastrous situation in Iraq if more money is not forthcoming. They say Iraq must be allowed to import food on a large scale to avoid starvation in the country.

Some 52 cases of cholera have been reported and Unicef officials say that because of the lack of testing kits in the country the figure is much larger. At the same time UN aid workers have seen cases of marasmus and kwashiorkor, diseases which indicate severe malnutrition. The diseases - the first makes children look like old men, the other causes bloating - have not been seen in Iraq in 50 years, Unicef says.

While the dispute over how Iraq should pay for its food imports drags on, humanitarian aid workers are growing increasingly alarmed at the deteriorating health of the population and the prospect of epidemics as summer temperatures rise to 114F.

Britain and the US have also put obstacles in the way of Baghdad's attempt to export $ 1bn worth of oil to buy food and other essential needs, such as water purification tablets.

Meanwhile, the likelihood of Britain's seeking a new Security Council vote against Iraq increased dramatically last night when the Secretary-General, Javier Perez de Cuellar, suggested a resolution to authorise the sending of a UN police force into northern Iraq against Baghdad's wishes.

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