Saudi authorities yesterday released an Iraqi pilgrims' aircraft, seized in Jeddah on Wednesday, after the UN Security Council's sanctions committee failed to reach agreement on what measures to take. On Wednesday, the Iraqi News Agency said the Russian-built Ilyushin-76 "has not returned as scheduled, for unknown reasons". A spokesman for the sanctions committee, said after a closed-door meeting in New York, that "we have not been able to reach consensus. As a consequence of that, we understand that the Saudis will let the plane go."
The Saudis had allowed a first Iraqi aircraft carrying pilgrims to the annual Haj pilgrimage in Mecca to make the return journey to Baghdad on Tuesday. However, they detained a second aircraft and its crew in Jeddah on Wednesday and sought urgent UN guidance.
Britain and the US believe the flights are in violation of UN sanctions, while France and Russia do not. The sanctions committee, which groups all 15 Security Council members, requires consensus for decision-making.
The sanctions committee did not discuss a third flight by Iraqi Airways to Saudi Arabia yesterday. Meanwhile, the Iraqi News Agency announced yesterday that 18,000 Iraqi pilgrims massed at the border with Saudi Arabia would set off for Mecca today. Also, in defiance of another UN embargo, a Libyan aircraft carrying 125 pilgrims left Tripoli for Mecca yesterday.