UNITED NATIONS, June 29: The UN Security Council on Friday voted to shut down the UN inspection bodies created for monitoring Iraq’s alleged weapons programme. The resolution, terminating the UN bodies’ mandate, was approved by 14-0 votes. Surprisingly, Russia abstained, saying there was still “no clear answer to the existence of weapons of mass destruction” in Iraq.

Following its occupation of Iraq the United States has been trying to get the Security Council to wrap up the work of inspectors, who were pulled out of Iraq just before the 2003 US-led invasion.

Iraq’s new leaders also have been lobbying for the council to stop using the country’s oil revenue to pay the salaries of the inspectors — and to have all money remaining in the UN’s oil-for-food account transferred to the government.

The resolution authorises Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to transfer all remaining unallocated funds in the oil-for-food account to Iraq’s Development Fund, amounting to about $60 million.

After the vote, the British Ambassador Emyr Jones Parry said: “We are not closing the file on WMD in Iraq. But we are changing the approach. We look forward to the government of Iraq’s report to the Security Council on its progress in adhering to all applicable treaties and international agreements; in harmonising Iraqi export legislation with international standards; and on progress made by the National Monitoring Directorate in its work.”