Baghdad is ready to cooperate with the Jordanian King to settle the differences between Iraq and Kuwait

Iraq has announced its readiness to cooperate with the Jordanian King Abdullah II in the contacts the latter intends to make concerning relations between Iraq and Kuwait, in implementation of what was agreed upon at Amman's summit. However, Iraq had accused both Saudi Arabia and Kuwaiti of intensifying the atmosphere in the region.

In a live meeting with the Iraqi satelite TV, the Iraqi foreign minister Muhammad saeed al-Sahaf said: " we will deal with our brothers in Jordan, objectively and clearly in regard to the relations between Iraq and Kuwait.

Al-Sahaf expected " Jordan, represented by King Abdullah II to move into this direction during a reasonable period of time." He added " according to what we have heard in Amman, the people there ( the Jordanians) are eager and want to do something" to this direction.

Al-Sahaf renewed his criticism and held the Saudis and the Kuwaitis responsible for the failure of the Arab summit to reach a decision concerning Iraq. He said:" they worked towards perpetuating things through contacts and measures they pursued since the meetings of the Arab foreign ministers in Cairo and then the preparation meetings in Amman.

Concerning the economic openness between Iraq and the Arab states, the Iraqi official news agency said that Egypt has lifted the restrictions imposed on imports of its local trade for Iraq.

This step came after the two states signed a free trade agreement in January this year. An agreement which is expected to increase the Egyptian exports to Iraq to almost $ one billion annually.

The agency quoted the Egyptian minister of business sector Mukhtar Khattab as saying that the agreements which were signed during the trade exhibition in Baghdad will open the door quickly before more Egyptian commodities to enter the Iraqi markets. Some 180 companies took part in the exhibition which was held last week and exhibited products including foodstuffs, medicines and electrical equipment.

Khattab added that these companies won exportation contracts to export 5299 of small coaches and trucks at a cost of USD 228 million and 100,000 tons of iron and steels at a cost of USD 34 million.

In Beirut, "The Islamic Movement in Iraq" on Sunday circulated a statement in which it warned against the American project to partition Iraq. The movement said: " the people's pocket's project which the Americans promote together with their hireling in the region is part of a Zionist strategy carried out by the US to create a new tense spot for flaring the civil war."