Iraq talks delayed

Talks between Iraq’s foreign minister Naji Sabri and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan have been postponed at Baghdad’s request, Annan’s spokesman has said.

Iraq sought the delay because it did not want to distract attention from the crisis in the Middle East, Annan spokesman Fred Eckhard said.

The talks had been due to take place on April 18 and 19 in New York City. No new date for the discussions was set.

Baghdad is under sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait and they cannot be lifted until inspectors certify that Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons have been eliminated, along with the long-range missiles to deliver them.