Iraq protests against US surveillance planes' violations

Iraq has once again complained of continued violations of its airspace by US surveillance planes.

In a message yesterday to the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan delivered by the Iraqi permanent representative at the UN, Nizar Hamdoun, Iraqi Foreign Minister Muhammad Saeed al-Sahaf said that the US U-2 spy plane carried out four new violations of the Iraqi airspace during last May.

His statement added that the said plane flew over vast areas for 10 - 17 hours. Al-Sahaf's message added that number of times the Iraqi airspace was violated by the US planes reached 412. The message urged the UN to reconsider the use of the "spy plane" because this violation contradicts with the UN objectives and principles of the UN charter in respecting sovereignty of all countries

Meanwhile, MENA reported from Baghdad that upon meeting with a French parliamentary delegation, Iraqi Prime Minister Tareq Aziz on Wednesday called upon the European countries to intervene to lift the embargo imposed on Iraq by the UN since 1990.

Aziz told the French delegation which is led by a member of the coalition party for the Republic that the European countries are required to take a stand that complies with international law "in lifting sanctions imposed on Iraq." Aziz was quoted by the Iraqi radio as saying that, "Iraq has fulfilled all its obligations, a fact which necessitates the UN Security Council to implement item 22 of UN resolution 687 as a beginning for comprehensive lifting of the embargo."

However, item 22 of resolution 687 says the embargo will be lifted when UNSCOM announces the elimination of the Iraqi nuclear, chemical and biological arsenals, as well as missiles whose range exceed 150 km.

Aziz asserted that the "US is determined to continue the siege on Iraq for political reasons."