Iraq urges UN to lift sanctions

Wed, 26 May 2010 06:34:23 GMT


Iraq's Ambassador to the United Nations Hamid al-Bayati
Iraq has renewed its call on the United Nations Security Council to lift Saddam-era sanctions on the country over its alleged weapons of mass destruction.

"We think that lifting the sanctions against Iraq will enable Iraq and Iraq ministries to rehabilitate all these facilities," Iraq's UN Ambassador Hamid al-Bayati told a Press TV correspondent on Tuesday.

Bayati emphasized Iraq's compliance with all UN resolutions and all international agreements, called for the abolition of the restrictions imposed on the country since 1991.

"Recently Iraq's minister of foreign affairs has met with the general director of the IAEA, saying that Iraq is complying with the additional protocol …so nothing is left," he emphasized.

The international community has so far failed to discover any WMDs in Iraq, despite urgent warnings by the US and its European allies prior to their invasion of the country in 2003.

"When Saddam invaded Kuwait, Iraq was considered a threat to peace and security because of the invasion because of the program of the WMDs. Now Iraq is free of all WMDs and Iraq has good elations with Kuwait," Iraq's UN envoy argued.

Iraq plans to host the next year Arab League summit which is expected to provide the country with a unique opportunity to reinforce a positive agenda for regional engagement and cooperation.