Iraqi opens dam on the Tigris tributary

Iraq on Wednesday opened a huge dam on one of the tributaries of the Tigris river at a total cost of US $10 million. Work started in the dam, 180 km northwest of Baghdad in 1996. More than 2000 Iraq engineers, technicians and workers took part in the construction of the dam.

The dam is expected to irrigate 4.2 million square meters of land. It will be used in generating electricity and overcome the problems resulting form floods on the Tigris river in the Baghdad district.

Meanwhile in Moscow, Iraqi Oil Minister Amir Rashid Muhammad al-Ubaydi held talks concerning the Iraqi situation and Russia's participation in developing the oil sector in Iraq.

Iraqi sources said that al-Ubaydi, who has been in Moscow for several days, met with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov and discussed with him relations between the two countries, NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia and the current discussions at the UN Security Council concerning Iraq.