Indonesia calls for sanctions on Iraq to be lifted

["Ulhas Joglekar" <ulhasj@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Thursday
1 February 2001

Indonesia calls for sanctions on Iraq to be lifted
JAKARTA, Indonesia: Indonesia on Wednesday called for the lifting of
international sanctions on Iraq and said it would look for closer ties with
the Arab state.
"The president supports the lifting of the economic sanctions on Iraq
because they have not had a positive impact on the people there," Foreign
Minister Alwi Shihab said.
In the past, head of state Abdurrahman Wahid has expressed his support for
the easing of the U.N embargo, which was imposed shortly after Iraqi leader
Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.
Wahid canceled a planned trip to Baghdad last year after U.S pressure not to
go. His pro-Iraqi stance has angered Washington, which is seeking to
maintain the country's isolation.
U.N. sanctions against Iraq can only be lifted once international weapons
inspectors certify that Iraq's biological, chemical and nuclear weapons and
the missiles used to deliver them have been destroyed.
Critics blame the sanctions for Iraq's economic decline and an increase in
malnutrition, disease and deaths, especially among children.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting between Wahid and the Iraqi Foreign
Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, Shihab said an Indonesian delegation
would visit Baghdad on Feb. 24.
Shihab said he hoped Indonesian Trade and Industry Minister Luhut Binsar
Panjaitan would be present to "look at other possibilities of increased
cooperation".
Shihab quoted Wahid as saying that if Iraq can resolve its problems with its
neighbors then he would encourage Indonesian business people to visit the
country. (AP)

For reprint rights:Times Syndication Service