Iraq Protests to U.N. over U.S., British AttacksIn two separate letters to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and president of the U.N. Security Council, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz protested over the continued U.S. and British air raids against Iraq from June 17-23.Aziz said that during the period, the U.S. and British warplanes made a total of 178 armed sorties, among them 74 from Turkey and 104 from Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, over the two so-called no-fly zones in southern and northern Iraq. The enemy planes bombed targets inside the no-fly zones, injuring three innocent people, Aziz said. Moreover, Aziz pointed out that during the period, U.S. and British planes dropped seven incendiary bombs in southern and northern Iraq, aiming to cause more property damages to Iraq. Iraq has claimed that nearly 300 people have been killed, nearly 1,000 others injured in U.S. and British air attacks since December 1998, plus heavy property losses. Aziz stressed that it has become "a fixed policy" for the U.S. and Britain to continue their "aggressions aimed at infringing on Iraq's sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity." He reiterated Iraq's "absolute rejection" of the no-fly zones, unilaterally imposed by the U.S.-led Western allies in the wake of the 1991 Gulf War. He called on Annan and president of the U.N. Security Council to intervene and stop the U.S. and Britain from conducting further aggressions. Iraq has repeatedly sent letters to Annan and the U.N. Security Council, demanding them to pressure the U.S. and Britain to halt aggressions on Iraq, but it so far has received little response. The U.S. and Britain have been enforcing the two air exclusion zones in Iraq to prevent what they called Baghdad persecution of the Kurds in the north and Shiite Muslims in the south. Baghdad has never recognized the no-fly zones for their lack of U.N. authorization. |
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