A message from UN chief to Iraq
Iraq-UN, Politics, 8/12/1998

UN sources in Baghdad on Tuesday said that the UN special delegate Prakash Shah will arrive in Baghdad tomorrow. In Lisbon, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan announced in conclusion of his meeting with the Portuguese foreign minister that he delivered his special envoy a message to the Iraqi authorities.

Annan added: "I hope this message will succeed in calming down the prevailing atmospheres and Iraq will listen to what I am saying." He elaborated that his proposals aim at bringing the two sides closer together to understand the claims put by the UN. Annan stated that Iraq is doing better with the UN since signing the February agreement which put an end to the crisis that resulted from Iraq preventing UNSCOM teams from inspecting the Iraqi presidential palaces.

In New York, spokesman for the UN, John Mills, denied the Iraqi accusations in that the UN and Britain are obstructing contracts for purchasing medicine submitted by Baghdad, in the context of the UN Sanctions Committee. He said that the UN sanctions committee had approved to offer Iraq medical items at a cost of US $179 million in the third stage of the oil-for-food program.

This was in reply to statements issued by the Iraqi daily al-Thawra, mouthpiece of the Iraqi ruling Baath Party, quoting Iraqi Health Minister Midhat Mubarak as accusing the US and UK representatives at the UN Sanctions Committee of using "silly and void" claims to obstruct medical purchase contracts proposed by Iraq.

Previous Stories:
  Abdul Meguid: Butler exceeded his authority in Iraq   (8/10/1998)
  Iraq: We have no more patience with the sanctions   (8/6/1998)
  Butler ends Iraqi visit   (8/4/1998)

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