Iraq calls Arab states to lift embargo

Iraqi Deputy Premier Tariq Aziz called on the Arab states to open a new page in their relations with Iraq and urged Arab foreign ministers to lift the embargo imposed on Baghdad during their meeting scheduled this weekend in Cairo.

"We want Arab countries to decide the lifting of the embargo and not request the UN security council to do it because this embargo has become illegal," Tarek Aziz told Lebanese daily "An-Nahar" on saturday.

In Cairo, the Arab foreign ministers started Friday consultations to coordinate positions in preparations for their projected meeting to deal with the situation in Iraqi, the US raids and decide eventually on the holding of an Arab summit.

Iraq will attend the Arab ministerial meeting which was initially scheduled for last month but postponed by the Arab league at the request of some Gulf states.