[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 52 (Friday, March 15, 1996)] [Notices] [Pages 10839-10840] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 96-6363] ======================================================================= ----------------------------------------------------------------------- DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Secretary [Public Notice 2357] 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 restrictions on the ground that such exemptions were in the national interest. The restriction was extended for additional one-year periods on February 18, 1992, February 23, 1993, February 26, 1994, and March 3, 1995. Although armed hostilities have ended, conditions in Iraq remain unsettled and hazardous. Regional conflicts continue in northern Iraq between Kurdish ethnic groups and Iraqi security forces. In southern Iraq, military repression of the Shia communities is severe, rendering conditions unsafe. Iraq's economy was severely damaged during the Gulf War and continues to be affected by the U.N. economic sanctions. 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 illegal entry into the country. Although our interests are represented by the Embassy of Poland in Baghdad, its ability to obtain consular access to detained U.S. citizens and to perform emergency services is constrained by Iraqi unwillingness to cooperate. [[Page 10840]] 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 one year unless sooner extended or revoked by Public Notice. Dated: March 8, 1996. Warren Christopher, Secretary of State. [FR Doc. 96-6363 Filed 3-13-96; 9:57 am] BILLING CODE 4710-10-M