MO U ) ▁in ▁May ▁ 1 9 9 6 ▁for ▁arrang ements ▁to ▁be ▁taken ▁to ▁implement ▁that ▁resolution . ▁ ▁The ▁O il - for - F ood ▁Program me ▁started ▁in ▁December ▁ 1 9 9 6 , ▁and ▁the ▁first ▁ship ments ▁of ▁food ▁arrived ▁in ▁March ▁ 1 9 9 7 . ▁Si xty ▁percent ▁of ▁Ira q ' s ▁twenty - six ▁million ▁people ▁were ▁sole ly ▁dependent ▁on ▁r ations ▁from ▁the ▁oil - for - fo od ▁plan . ▁ ▁The ▁programme ▁used ▁an ▁esc row ▁system . ▁O il ▁export ed ▁from ▁Ira q ▁was ▁paid ▁for ▁by ▁the ▁recip ient ▁into ▁an ▁esc row ▁account ▁possessed ▁until ▁ 2 0 0 1 ▁by ▁B NP ▁Par ib as ▁bank , ▁rather ▁than ▁to ▁the ▁Ira qi ▁government . ▁The ▁money ▁was ▁then ▁app ort ioned ▁to ▁pay ▁for ▁war ▁re par ations ▁to ▁K uw ait , ▁on going ▁coal ition ▁and ▁United ▁Nations ▁operations ▁within ▁Ira q . ▁The ▁remainder , ▁the ▁majority ▁of ▁the ▁re venue , ▁was ▁available ▁to ▁the ▁Ira qi ▁government ▁to ▁purchase ▁reg ulated ▁items . ▁ ▁The ▁Ira qi ▁government ▁was ▁permitted ▁to ▁purchase ▁only ▁items ▁that ▁were ▁not ▁embargo ed ▁under ▁the ▁economic ▁san ctions . ▁ ▁C ertain ▁items , ▁such ▁as ▁raw ▁food st uff s , ▁were ▁exped ited ▁for ▁immediate ▁ship ment , ▁but ▁requests ▁for ▁most ▁items , ▁including ▁such ▁simple ▁things ▁as ▁p enc ils ▁and ▁fol ic ▁acid