UN issues its report on Iraq today; Abdul Hamid denies demands of Jordanian, Kuwaiti lands

Current President of the Interim governing council in Iraq Mohsin Abdul Hamid denied statements attributed to him that he will demand Jordan and Kuwait to restore back Iraqi lands offered to them by the former regime.

Abdul Hamid said in a press statement that certain mass media altered his statements, adding that the "governing council did not and will not think of discussing such sensitive issues because it wants to build its relations with its brothers of the neighboring states."

Jordan announced yesterday that it will ask for clarifications on statements attributed to Abdul Hamid. The spokeswoman for the Jordanian government Asmaa Khuder said that Amman will ask for explanations of these statements if proven to be true. For its part, Kuwait expressed regret over Abdul Hamid statements and asked for explanations.

In Tokyo, the secretary general of the UN Kofi Annan said that his report about the political future of Iraq will be issued today ( Monday) in New York.

Annan who visits Japan told journalists following his meeting with the Japanese foreign minister on Sunday that his report will depend on recommendations by the delegation he had dispatched to Iraq.

It is, however, expected that the report will propose holding elections to form a permanent government by the end of this year or the beginning of 2005. The report also expected to debate certain alternatives to form a provisional government.

Meantime, one Iraqi was killed yesterday in Musil, to the north of Iraq, in a land mine implanted on the highway in al-Islah quarters in the city. The Iraqi police cordoned the site of the incident and started investigations to know the implications of the incident.

This incident coincided with three strong explosions in Baghdad. The nature of these explosions and their reasons are not known yet or whether they resulted in casualties, but an American military spokesman said that the explosions took place under their control, in remark that the occupation forces dismantled the explosions.

In Kerbalaa, one Polish vehicle was exposed to an attack by missile shelling launched by unidentified gunmen in the Ein al-Tamer road to the west of the city, and this resulted in burning one military vehicle, but no human casualties were reported.