Iraq criticizes Gulf states statement

Iraq strongly criticized the concluding statement issued by the ministerial meeting for states of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Jeddah last Saturday - depicting it of expressing the U.S stance toward Iraq.

The Gulf statement placed blame for the current sanctions and the solution to Iraq's current problems on the Iraqi government.

The spokesman of the Iraqi ministry of culture and information said in a comment that was broadcast yesterday that "the statement contains a clear and contradicting reaction to the development in the Arab arena as well as the international development even with the informal internal U.S position."

On the hand, Iraq and Malaysia agreed on expanding cooperation in the fields of economics, petroleum, commercial, scientific, and transportation.