Iraq Slams Kuwait For Supporting "Smart Sanctions"An official Iraqi daily Thursday slammed Kuwait for supporting the so-called "smart sanctions" proposed by the United States.The Al-Thawra, mouthpiece of Iraq's ruling Arab Baath Socialist Party, said in an editorial that "Kuwaiti rulers have launched a diplomatic, political and media campaign to implement the (smart sanctions) policy." "It is obvious that the campaign coincides with the US call for strengthening the embargo on Iraq under the cover of smart sanctions," said the editorial. The aim behind the campaign is to "maintain the embargo as well as the (US) aggressions against Iraq," it added. Kuwait has recently dispatched its emissaries to China, the US, Russia, France and other major powers in the world to explain the small emirate's stance on Iraq. Kuwait and Saudi Arabia have been playing hosts to US and British warplanes to mount armed patrols over Iraq's southern no-fly zone, established by the US-led Western allies after the 1991 Gulf War allegedly to protect the Shiite Muslims from the forces of President Saddam Hussein. A similar air exclusion zone was also set up in northern Iraq to protect the Kurds under the same pretext. Baghdad has never recognized the two no-fly zones for their lack of clear U.N. authorization. Facing growing international criticisms over the no-fly zones and the decade-old sanctions on Iraq, the US proposed the so-called "smart sanctions" in February to ease curbs on Iraq's imports of civilian goods but shore up controls on materials that can be used for military purposes. Iraq has flatly rejected the modified sanctions regime and demanded a total lifting of the sanctions. Iraq has been under sweeping UN sanctions ever since its 1990 invasion of neighboring Kuwait. |
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