Southeastern Asian Nations Urged to Boost Trade Ties With IraqIraq has urged Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand to take the advantage of the United Nations Charter to develop trade relations with it, Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammad Said Al-Sahaf said on Sunday.Sahaf, who returned to Baghdad Saturday after visits to the three Southeastern countries, said that he discussed with officials of these nations on how to benefit from the Article 50 of the UN Charter and enhance trade and economic relations with Iraq. In Iraq's interpretation, the article of the UN Charter allows these countries, who suffer losses due to international sanctions on Iraq, to develop trade ties as an exemption from the sanctions. In addition, Sahaf informed the three countries of Iraq's stand towards its planned dialog with the UN in New York at the end of this month. For their parts, the three countries stressed determination to put the UN article into effect and called for lifting of the sanctions on Iraq, Sahaf said. Iraq has been under the UN sanctions since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. The three-nation tour came amid Iraq's intensified efforts to develop trade relations with other countries to break the decade-old sanctions. |
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