Iraq says Jordan, Tunisia agree to return airliners

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Reuters) -- Jordan and Tunisia have agreed to hand back Iraqi civilian airliners impounded since the Gulf War, Iraq's foreign minister was quoted as saying on Monday.

Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf told the weekly Nabdh al-Shabab newspaper that work to make the planes airworthy had already started.

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He said Iraq was also putting pressure on Iran to release other Iraqi planes sent to Tehran to escape bombing during the 1991 Gulf War which followed Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.

"Jordan and Tunisia have recently taken a decision releasing 10 Iraqi civilian planes held in these two countries," Sahaf was quoted as saying.

Aviation sources say Iraqi Airways, grounded since the Gulf War, has 37 planes, including 15 Boeing jetliners and 22 Russian-built Ilyushin 76s.

The sources say four Boeing 727s and two 707s are in Amman. Four planes are in Tunis while another five Boeings were in Tehran together with all 22 Ilyushins.

Jordanian aviation sources told Reuters in Amman that they did not know of any decision to return the planes to Iraq, acknowledging that such a move would require U.N. approval.

But the sources confirmed that an Iraqi maintenance team came to Jordan last month and looked at the planes. Iraqi engineers have over the years checked the planes.

The sources said the engines of the Boeings required a major overhaul at a cost of around $14 million to make them airworthy. They said Jordan did not have the required facilities to carry out the work.

Jordanian officials said last month Jordan was ready to help Iraq rehabilitate the aircraft but gave no details.

Civilian air traffic through Baghdad was halted after sanctions were imposed on Iraq days after the Kuwait invasion.

Several Arab and foreign countries sent humanitarian flights to Baghdad this year and Iraq resumed regular domestic flights on November 5.

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