Norway said on Friday it planned to reopen its embassy in Baghdad as a center for assessing UN sanctions, said press reports.
"We want to reopen a diplomatic representation in Baghdad to be able to carry out the most independent possible assessment of conditions in Iraq linked to our work in the Security Council," foreign minister, Thorbjoern Jagland, was quoted as saying in a statement.
On January 4th, Norway was chosen to head the UN committee on sanctions against Iraq over the next two years.
"Norway wants to work for a change of the UN sanctions against Iraq so that they be aimed more directly at President Saddam Hussein," Jagland, quoted by the Norway Post, said.
Jagland, the Post added, believes the situation for the average Iraqi would improve if the UN sanctions were aimed more directly at the political elite.
The minister's remarks came after talks in Oslo with Egyptian foreign minister, Amr Moussa, who is currently on a European tour to discuss ways of enhancing bilateral ties between Egypt and several European countries, as well as the Middle East peace process -- Albawaba.com
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