Baghdad to resume civil aviation soon, accuses US of obstructs imports

Official sources in the Iraqi Petroleum Ministry accused the US of obstructing the importation of spare parts for the Iraqi petroleum industry, according to the UN's decision to allow the Iraqi authorities to import equipment worth $300 million for this purpose, within the oil-for-food agreement.

In statements published in Iraqi newspapers, the same sources added that Iraq has not received one spare part since this decision was issued four months ago.

The sources also said that the US envoy on the Sanctions' Committee affiliated to the United Nations Security Council is obstructing, without mentioning logical reasons, the ratification of any contracts that would deliver spare parts to Iraq's petroleum industry.

Meanwhile, Iraq announced its intention yesterday to resume civil aviation soon. Iraqi Minister of Transportation Ahmad Murtada Ahmad Khalil confirmed that there are continuous communications with Arab civil aviation organizations in this regard.

He also denied that there is an embargo on air transportation, pointing out that the decision to impose this embargo is an American one and has nothing to do whith the Iraqi move is to remove the embargo.

The Iraqi minister added that the policy of his ministry is openness and cooperation with all "intimate" countries and that there is obvious progress in Iraq's relations with Syria.