Iraq has good relations with most Arab Gulf states, minister says

The Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri has stressed that his country's relations with most of the Arab Gulf states are good relations and that these relations are developing and growing.

In a statement to the London- based al-Hayat daily issued on Wednesday Sabri added that " our relations with our brothers in the Gulf region are good and we do have direct political and economic relations with Qatar, Bahrain, Oman and the United Arab Emirates and trade relations with Saudi Arabia and these relations are continuously growing."

Sabri expressed Iraq's readiness to close the file of the Kuwaiti missing. He said that this issue is purely humanitarian and we do hope to reach a realistic formula concerning it with our brothers in the state of Kuwait.

Sabri also expressed Iraq's readiness to receive any Arab delegation to investigate and also to receive any Kuwaiti delegation involved representing families of the missing at any time decided by " our brothers " in the state of Kuwait.

On Iraq's decision to maintain a dialogue with Washington Sabri said " we do not have a prior stand against a dialogue with Washington. We use to have natural relations with the US before 1991."