Baghdad denies deputy prime minister was injured in assassination accident

Iraq denied yesterday what was said by opposition groups in exile regarding the injury of Iraq Deputy Prime Minister Mohammed Hamzah El-Zebeidi in an attempt to kill him in Negaf city in southern Iraq.

Adei El-Taei, general manger of the Iraqi News Agency, criticized these statements, adding that El-Zebeidi attended a general meeting one day after the news of the alleged assassination attempt announced by the opposition.

El-Taei said it was decided that El-Zeibaidi will appear soon in an interview with an Arab satellite television station.

El-Taei accused the opposition of attempting to create false news to defame Iraq's image aboard.

At the same time, the Qatari al-Jazira channel reported that the Iraqi deputy prime minister is in good health, after a phone call made by the channel's corespondent to El-Zebeidi at the headquarters of the ruling Baath party.

El-Zeibidi said during this phone call that he enjoys good health and expressed his intention to attend a scientific symposium organized by the Iraqi Ministry of Construction and Housing.