Iraqi opposition delegation arrives in New York next week

Well-informed sources in London said that a delegation representing the Iraqi opposition will head next week to New York, where they will meet with UN members, especially members of the UN Security Council in order to discuss developments concerning the Iraqi question.

The delegation is to include members of the provisional presidential commission of the Iraqi National Congress as well as Adnan al-Baja Ji, from the Democratic Circle movement.

The sources added that the delegation will ask in New York for not giving the Iraqi government any of the oil revenues according to the oil-for-food agreement, and for the UN to receive the revenues. The delegation will also ask for "efforts to lift the suffering of the Iraqi people," through "intensifying efforts to topple the Iraqi regime."

The US coordinator for the Iraqi opposition activities, Frank Ricciardone, met on Wednesday in London with the members of the provisional presidential commission of the "congress," as well as al-Sharif Bin Ali al-Hussein, the representative of the "Royal Constitutional Movement" and Ghassan al-Ateyah and Adnan al-Baja Ji from the Democratic Circle.

The "circle" denied that Ricciardone had met with opposition members, especially Islamists, earlier. Ricciardone urged the members of the Iraqi opposition with whom he met to accelerate the convening of the plenary conference and to agree on a place for convening it.