Iraq's FM in Belgium to discuss the return of UN weapons inspectors
Iraq-Belgium, Politics, 7/13/2002

The Belgian foreign ministry said that the Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri will visit Belgium within two weeks in order to discuss the likely return back of the UN weapons inspectors to Iraq.

Sabri is due to meet in his rare visit to Europe with the Belgium Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Louis Michel who informed the Senate council that he had agreed on the visit of the Iraqi minister despite the "advise given to give up from abroad," in remarks to the US.

Michel told members of the senate in a testimony issued on Thursday his opposition to mix between the war against international terrorism and the situation in Iraq.

The Belgian minister stressed he will inform Sabri on the need of Iraq to abide to UN resolutions and to permit UN weapons inspectors to inspect for the mass destruction weapons in Iraq.

For his part, Sabri stressed Iraq's persistence on getting answers to the list of questions it had submitted to the UN. Iraq wants answer from the UN Security Council, rather from its member states on the questions it has raised before. The Iraqis submitted 19 questions some of them are technical and others were described by the Americans as "conditions;" among these is one question asking whether the American plans to strike the regime of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein violate the international law.

In an interview with the Iraqi satellite TV station, Sabri said "We know the position of the special committee, the position of (UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission UNMOVIC) regarding the elimination of the Iraqi weapons and know the stand taken by its chairman Hans Blix, but we want to have the position of the UN Security Council as a foundation and not as a position for the US."

Previous Stories:
  Jordan warns of attacking Iraq, denies American forces on its territories   (7/12/2002)
  Iraq to hand back 138 Iranian refugees   (7/11/2002)
  Annan, Sabri express satisfaction over preliminary talks   (7/5/2002)
  Iraq appreciates Belgian stand on sanctions   (5/11/2002)

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