UN-Iraq Talks May Be DelayedThe talks between the United Nations and Iraq on ending impasse over weapons inspection may be delayed until February, a UN official said Wednesday.UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had hoped to start the dialogue this month before his planned trip to Asia and Europe, and Iraq so far has not yet responded to Annan's request for a loose agenda for the talks, the official said. Calls placed to Iraq's UN mission were not returned Tuesday, the official added. The UN chief and Iraq agreed to begin the talks after the Islamic holy month of Ramada, which ended last week. UN weapons inspection in Iraq has been suspended since December 1998 when the United States and Britain launched military strikes against the country. Iraq has reiterated that lifting the sanctions is the precondition for UN weapons inspectors to return. Iraq has been under stringent UN sanctions after its invasion of Kuwait in 1990. The sanctions cannot be lifted until Iraq is clarified to be free from weapons of mass destruction. |
| People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/ |