Powell, Vedrine Hold Talks on Iraq SanctionsUS Secretary of State Colin Powell and his French counterpart Hubert Vedrine discussed Monday modification of UN sanctions on Iraq without loosening restrictions aimed at curbing Baghdad's weapons programs."We agree that Iraq must honor its UN obligations," Powell said at a joint news conference with Vedrine. "The foreign minister and I discussed how we can ensure that the UN sanctions are targeted at the Iraqi regime's attempts to develop weapons of mass destruction while sparing the people of Iraq from any suffering," Powell said. Vedrine said he was pleased to see Washington's Iraq policy " evolving," adding that the change was common sense. It was their first intensive one-on-one meeting since the new US administration took power on January 20. |
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