Norway to reopen Baghdad embassy

OSLO, Norway -- Norway is to reopen its embassy in Baghdad in a few weeks, according to the Norwegian foreign ministry.

Norway has only had an honourary consul in Baghdad since 1991, but has never broken off diplomatic connections with Iraq, ministry spokesman Karsten Klepsvik said.

Head of a key United Nations commission reviewing sanctions on Iraq, Norway says it wants to overhaul sanctions to target the government of President Saddam Hussein and ease the suffering of the people.

Klepsvik said Norway was in the process of opening the embassy but still had some decisions to make -- such as the conditions for the delegate they send. Iraq is set to send a charge d'affaires to Norway.

The planned Iraqi diplomatic presence in Norway is part of a "so-called reciprocity. When one country establishes a foreign station, the other country normally has the right to do the same," he said.

Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait in August 1990 and were forced out by a Western-Arab coalition in February 1991 after a 39-day war.

Baghdad blames existing sanctions for a humanitarian disaster that Hussein says has killed more than one million people. Britain and the United States blame Saddam's policies for the situation.

The impact of sanctions has been eased in the last four years by an "oil-for-food" arrangement that allows Iraq to sell oil and buy food and medicines with some of the proceeds.

Washington and London insist sanctions cannot be totally lifted until Iraq complies with 1991 Gulf War ceasefire resolutions and allows U.N. weapons inspectors to oversee elimination of its weapons of mass destruction programmes.

But Iraq, which refused to let the inspectors back in after a wave of U.S.-British air strikes in December 1998, argues it has already met its obligations and has rallied international support for a complete end to what it calls the blockade.

Reuters contributed to this report.

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