Iraq Says Ready for Dialogue if U.S. Abandons Force
Fri February 21, 2003 01:47 PM ET
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq is ready for dialogue with the United States if Washington drops its plans to invade the oil-rich country, Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan said in an interview broadcast on Friday.
"We have said that we are with dialogue, we are for normal ties with all countries of the world, of course, except the Zionist entity (Israel), even if we have differences with this or that (country)," Ramadan told Iraq's al-Shabab television station run by Uday, the son of President Saddam Hussein.
"We have been asked several times: 'Are you ready for dialogue with the American administration to build economic ties and cooperation that fulfils mutual interests?' and we said yes...this still stands now," he said.
"This process does not go along (with U.S. plans to invade). If they abandon aggression and there is dialogue that achieves mutual interests away from interference in internal affairs ... we'll have no objections," Ramadan said.
It was not clear when the interview was taped.
The United States and Britain are building up forces in the Gulf for a possible invasion of Iraq in March to disarm Baghdad and topple Saddam.
Despite resistance by many members, the United States and Britain plan to introduce a resolution at the U.N. Security Council next week, declaring Iraq in "further material breach" of a November resolution calling on it to give up banned weapons.
Iraq denies it has nuclear, biological and chemical weapons and says it is cooperating fully with U.N. weapons inspectors.
reuters.com |
