98-7297. Extension of the Restriction on the Use of United States Passports for Travel to, in or Through Iraq

[Federal Register Volume 63, Number 54 (Friday, March 20, 1998)]
[Notices]
[Pages 13715-13716]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 98-7297]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

Office of the Secretary
[Public Notice #2770]


Extension of the Restriction on the Use of United States 
Passports for Travel to, in or Through Iraq

    On February 1, 1991, pursuant to the authority of 22 U.S.C. 211a 
and Executive Order 11295 (31 FR 10603), and in accordance with 22 CFR 
51.73(a)(2) and (a)(3), all United States passports, with certain 
exceptions, were declared invalid for travel to, in, or through Iraq 
unless specifically validated for such travel. The restriction was 
originally imposed because armed hostilities then were taking place in 
Iraq and Kuwait, and because there was an imminent danger to the safety 
of United States travelers to Iraq. American citizens then residing in 
Iraq and American professional reporters and journalists on assignment 
there were exempted from the restriction on the ground that such 
exemptions were in the national interest. The restriction has been 
extended for additional one year periods since then, and was last 
extended on March 20, 1997.
    Conditions in Iraq remain unsettled and hazardous. Despite the 
recently concluded U.N. Memorandum of Understanding with Iraq, tensions 
remain high. The government of Iraq continues to mount a virulent 
public campaign in which the United States is blamed for maintenance of 
U.N. sanctions. In southern Iraq, military repression of the Shia 
communities is severe, rendering conditions unsafe. There is a risk of 
conflict between Kurdish groups. Iraq's economy was severely damaged 
during the Gulf War and continues to be affected by the U.N. economic 
sanctions and the Government of Iraq's refusal to fully implement the 
U.N.'s Oil for Food program. Basic modern medical care and medicines 
may not be available to our citizens in case of emergency. U.S. 
citizens and other foreigners working inside Kuwait near the Iraqi 
borders have been detained by Iraqi authorities in the past and 
sentenced to lengthy jail terms for alleged illegal entry into the 
country. Although our interests are represented by the Embassy of 
Poland in Bagdad, its ability to obtain consular access to detained 
U.S. citizens and to perform emergency services is constrained by Iraqi 
unwillingness to cooperate. In light of these circumstances, I have 
determined that Iraq continues to be a country `` * * * where there is 
imminent danger to the public health or physical safety of United 
States travelers''.
    Accordingly, United States passports shall continue to be invalid 
for use in travel to, in, or through Iraq unless specifically validated 
for such travel under the authority of the Secretary of State. The 
restriction shall not apply to American citizens residing in Iraq on 
February 1, 1991 who continue to reside there, or to American 
professional reporters or journalists on assignment there.
    The Public Notice shall be effective upon publication in the 
Federal Register and shall expire at the end of

[[Page 13716]]

one year unless sooner extended or revoked by Public Notice.

    Dated: March 16, 1998.
Madeleine K. Albright,
Secretary of State.
[FR Doc. 98-7297 Filed 3-19-98; 8:45 am]
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