NO CHANGE IN SANCTIONS ON IRAQ.

United Nations Security Council members agreed yesterday to maintain sanctions on Iraq. The decision came despite an appeal by Iraq’s foreign minister to ease the sanctions regime and an earlier warning from Baghdad that any other decision might lead Iraq to reconsider its recent cooperation with the UN. The Council also set aside for the time being a draft resolution circulated by Russia. The document said that Iraq has fully cooperated with UN inspectors on nuclear issues but that it would still be subject to inspections if the International Atomic Energy Agency receives more information about its clandestine program.

Although the resolution was not approved yesterday, the United States reportedly came under heavy pressure from Russia, France, China and others to have the council issue a formal acknowledgment of Iraq’s progress in nuclear disarmament. The United States did agree for the first time that Iraq had made some progress in nuclear disarmament, but the U.S. ambassador to the UN said that it was still too early to close Iraq’s “nuclear file.” (Reuter, AP, April 27)

IMF READY TO DO MORE BUSINESS WITH RUSSIA…