Iraq Warns Turkey Against Backing "Smart Sanctions"

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz Monday warned Turkey against backing a U.N. Security Council draft resolution on "smart sanctions" which Washington and London seek to impose on Iraq.

During a meeting with visiting Turkish Foreign Ministry Undersecretary Faruk Logoglu, Aziz, who is also Iraq's foreign minister, warned that if Turkey voted in favor of the draft resolution, Iraq would stop dealing with it, the official Iraqi News Agency reported.

The two ministers also discussed bilateral relations between the two countries.

For his part, Logoglu stressed Turkey's desire to develop economic ties with Iraq, the agency said.

Political observers in Baghdad believed that the Turkish official's visit is important at this stage as Turkey seeks to keep its relations with the U.S., and at the same time, to maintain its trade with Iraq.

Turkey suffered 35 billion U.S. dollars of losses from suspension of trade with Iraq due to the 10-year-plus UN sanctions on Baghdad imposed on Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

However, analysts put Turkey's direct and indirect losses at over 85 billion dollars, with the southeastern parts of Turkey being the worst affected areas by the sanctions on Iraq.

Iraq threatens to suspend its oil exports to and reconsiders economic and political ties with neighboring countries if they back the draft resolution.

Iraq halted oil exports on June 4 to protest against a United Nations Security Council's resolution to extend the oil-for-food deal for only 30 days instead of a regular six-month term.��

The Security Council's decision was aimed to allow more time for the 15-member body to discuss the American-British plan on "smart sanctions" against Iraq.

The "smart sanctions" are aimed at easing curbs on exporting civilian goods to Iraq while tightening control on materials that can be used for military purposes.

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