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| Iraq |
| Iraq gives up turn to lead world disarmament forum |
| 2003-02-15 |
| Iraq has decided to give up its turn to take up the rotating presidency of the world's top disarmament forum, a prospect that had prompted strong U.S. opposition, the United Nations said Friday. Iraq was to take over the monthlong chairmanship of the Geneva-based Conference on Disarmament on March 17. But Iraq's U.N. Mission informed Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Friday "that the Iraqi government had sent a letter to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva saying they would not be assuming the rotating presidency of the conference," the U.N. spokesman's office said in a statement. The presidency of the conference rotates in alphabetical order. India is the current president, followed by Indonesia. Iran also has given up its turn to chair the body; Ireland follows Iraq on the list. Wonder what Kofi had to give 'em to get that? The prospect of Iraq's chairing the conference, at a time when Baghdad faces U.S.-led military action for failing to prove it has eliminated weapons of mass destruction, prompted Executive summary of the entire text of the Bush administration protests: "You can't be serious! Are you outta your mind?" |
| Posted by:Fred Pruitt |