UN chief calls for encouraging Iraq and lifting sanctions imposed on it

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the UN Security Council to embark on a position that would encourage Iraq to cooperate with the UN and that will be ultimately conducive to lifting the sanctions imposed on Iraq.

In a press statement he made on Monday, Annan said, "I hope that the UN Security Council stand will be encouraging for Iraq to cooperate and in the long run conducive to lifting sanctions imposed on Iraq and thereby to put a decisive end to the sufferings of the Iraqi people."

The UN chief expressed his concern over the current status of relations between the UN and Iraq. He stressed that such a situation is not only difficult for the Iraqis but also to the region as a whole.