Iraqi FM: Sanctions are inhuman, merciless and illegitimate

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak Sunday met with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed Sahaf.

The meeting was attended by foreign minister Amr Moussa, Iraq's delegate to the Arab League Mohsen khalil and Iraqi Foreign undersecretary Nabil Nejm.

Emerging from the meeting, Sahaf said he conveyed a message from Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to President Mubarak on bilateral relations and the Iraqi leadership's positive stance over such development.

The Iraqi top diplomat added that he briefed President Mubarak on the Iraqi viewpoint towards a number of issues that were expected to be raised during the first regular Arab Summit, due in Amman late March.

"I listened to Mubarak's standpoint towards the issues and I would convey these views to Saddam," he said.

Asked about the Iraqi stance towards the recently-floated US ideas about "smarter sanctions", Sahaf said he had told reporters following his meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan in New York several days ago that this means that all the previous US measures towards the people of Iraq were "stupid sanctions".

The Iraqi top diplomat said US secretary of state Colin Powell's statements on the new sanctions on Iraq are meant to deceive the public opinion and ease the growing pressure to lift the ten-year economic sanctions.

"The sanctions are inhuman, merciless and lack legitimacy," Sahaf added. Asked about reports carried by some mass media that they are still adopting the same kind of "stupid" measures.

On whether the Iraqi issue will be raised during the Amman summit, he said the summit has an agenda and all countries have to deal with it.

Asked whether he expects the coming Arab summit to succeed, Sahaf said his talks with President Mubarak covered the Iraqi's viewpoint towards issues related to the joint Arab action.

Asked whether Iraq would take part in the joint Arab action march, the Iraqi diplomat stressed that his country had been always been part in the Arab action.