UN Secretary General Kofi Annan exhorted the Security Council on Wednesday to find common ground on Iraqi sanctions before he holds a second round of talks with Iraqi officials, said reports.
Annan said the Iraqis put forward no concrete proposals during a two-day meeting early this week, but said "the second round should be expected to go into details."
Annan was speaking to reporters after briefing the council on his talks with an Iraqi delegation led by Foreign Minister Mohamed Said al-Sahhaf, said the agency, adding that they agreed to meet again in mid-April or early May.
The talks were the first high-level contact between the two sides since December 1998, when UN arms inspectors left Iraq for the last time.
Annan said the Iraqis had three key priorities: the no-fly zones enforced against them by Britain and the United States, disarmament and economic sanctions, according to the agency.
Annan said he told the Iraqis of "the need to comply with the resolutions and the expectations of the Security Council."
But he added there was "a need for the council to agree on certain critical questions, and to restore the unity of the council," AFP said.
Sahhaf, meanwhile, said that Iraq might accept a return of inspectors if other countries in the region agreed to the same, Bloomberg.com reported.
The UN should start with Israel, which was an atomic power, he said.
Annan agreed with the Iraqi demand that UN weapons inspections be conducted in all Middle East nations, including Israel, said Bloomberg.
“When it comes to regional security arrangements, it should not be an issue only for the Iraqis,' Annan said.
Sahhaf, said the news service, criticized the US proposal outlined by Secretary of State Colin Powell to tighten sanctions on material with a possible military use and lift them on civilian goods.
“It is impossible to understand how shallow are those statements,' Sahhaf said.
“This can be understood if it is rubbish from a propagandist, not from a foreign minister. He [Powell] is trying to play on words in a very awkward way,” Sahhaf was quoted as saying – Albawaba.com
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