By Fayrouz Tawfik
Dubai - The Iraqi people have suffered enough under the UN Security Council sanctions imposed 10
years ago, and it is time the sanctions were lifted and the people allowed to get on with their lives, since
Iraq has complied with the UN resolutions, an Iraqi minister said yesterday.

Speaking at a press conference at the Dubai Press Club, Dr Nabil Nejm, Iraqi Deputy Foreign
Minister, said that the Iraqi people have been suffering under the sanctions for so long that it has
become a human rights issue.

The minister, who is here for the opening of the Dubai Shopping Festival and the Iraqi pavilion at the
Global Village, pleaded with the Non-Aligned Movement to help Iraqi civilians rebuild their lives. "We
have complied with the resolutions of the United Nations and the Security Council and it is time Iraqis started rebuilding their
lives."

"It is unjust for 20 million people in Iraq to suffer because one permanent member of the Security Council, the U.S., insists on
keeping the sanctions under unbearable conditions which are causing hundreds of children to die every day," he added.

Nejm said the media was disillusioned by events in Iraq. He noted that there has been a total of 147,221 daily air strikes by the
U.S. Air Force since the first series of attacks in December 1998 up to February 21 this year.

"The air attacks have destroyed all military establishments and have been destroying more vital utilities, including hospitals and
electricity companies, which is more devastating to the Iraqi people," he said.

Nejm accused the U.S. of practicing genocide in Iraq by insisting on destroying all vital utilities and putting pressure on the
Security Council to keep the sanctions in place to starve Iraqis to death. But people around the world have begun to
sympathise with the Iraqi people and are demanding the lifting of the sanctions. "A petition by 70 U.S. Congressmen was sent
to President Clinton to lift the sanctions on Iraq, but it was rejected."

Iraq is winning more support from Arab countries, which are trying to help the Iraqi people. "We are strengthening our relations
with all Arab countries and we are members of the Arab League as we are present at all conferences and meetings of Arab
ministers and we are part of the Arab nation."

Regarding Kuwait's claims about prisoners of war, he said that the Red Cross has no prisoners of war registered with them.
However, there are missing Iraqis just as there are missing Kuwaitis. After the ceasefire in February 1991, Iraq followed the
international agreements on the exchange of prisoners and dead bodies.

"We returned 6,228 prisoners of war to Kuwait through the Red Cross in March 1991. The Red Cross registered the number
of people still missing in Kuwait and Iraq and a search was made," he added. "Following this, more Kuwaitis were reported to
have been found either in Kuwait, Pakistan or other Arab countries. Thus their files were closed."

The number of missing Kuwaitis has fallen to 598, and 1,150 Iraqis are missing. Only one Iraqi was reported to have died in a
hospital in Kuwait.

"We have the Red Cross registrations and monitoring of the issue of missing people from both countries and we have no more
Kuwaiti prisoners of war in Iraq as it will not be wise or logical, as we are trying to improve relations with Arab countries," he
said.

likewise, the Iranian POW issue has been solved under agreements made with Iran in 1998. "We only have one Iranian pilot
whom we have kept to prove that Iran initiated the first Gulf War," he said.

He maintained that this pilot was responsible for air attacks along with other pilots on September 14, 1980, and his plane was
shot down on September 18. "The war started on September 22. The Red Cross still visits this pilot."

The Iranians initially refused to exchange 18,000 Iraqi POWs for only one pilot, so agreement was reached to release Iranian
criminals charged with illegally entering Iraq, theft or drug trafficking. "A total of 240 Iranians charged in criminal cases has been
handed over through the Red Cross with their files, which was the first step towards improving relations between the
neighbouring countries," he said.

Countries should stop accusing the Iraqi government, he declared. "If we keep blaming each other, we will never reach an
agreement to solve pending problems."