Iraq gives top priority to relations with Arab states, local reform

During his meeting with a delegation from the United Arab Emirates UAE led by minister of state for financial affairs Muhammad Khalfan Bin Kharbash on Thursday, the Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said that Iraq and in the context of the "directives of the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will put no limit to the levels of cooperation with the Arab states and to work for giving them priority in its trade contacts on the ground of Iraq's believe on the importance of achieving an Arab economic integration."

On the other hand, the Iraqi daily al-Thawra ( the revolution) said that all preparations have been made to once again form a ministry on local rule. The paper quoted a source at the ministry of the interior that this measure comes to "alleviate the huge volume of the responsibilities assigned to the ministry of the interior." The Iraqi leadership decided ten years ago to cancel the ministry of local rule and annexed all its departments to the Ministry Of the Interior. The source indicated that the departments of municipality, the waters and sewage and other technical departments will be transferred to the new ministry.

In another context the Iraqi daily al-Zouraa said that the Iraqi authorities gave special instructions to offer the Iraqis of non- Arab nationality "the right to change their nationality to the Arab one" within 60 days.

In 2001, the Iraqi revolution leadership council, the highest legislative authority in the country issued a decision provided for "offering non- Arab Iraqis the right to change their nationality to the Arab nationality."