IRAQ: BRITISH MP GEORGE GALLOWAY VISIT

(7 Nov 1999) Arabic/Eng/Nat The Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister has pledged his government will resist any new U-N demands to cooperate with foreign weapons inspectors, as long as economic sanctions against Iraq remain in effect. Tariq Aziz made his remarks as he welcomed a British member of parliament who arrived in Baghdad to highlight the plight of Iraqis under the sanctions. George Galloway and his supporters had travelled overland from the U-K in a London bus. After two months of travel, through Europe, North Africa and the Middle East, George Galloway's convoy, complete with double-decker London bus, arrived in Baghdad on Saturday night. The British Member of Parliament's mission was to draw attention to the effect U-N sanctions are having on the Iraqi people. Iraq says the sanctions have led to over a (m) million deaths. The British M-P, a member of the ruling Labour party, was greeted by the Iraqi deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz. SOUNDBITE: (Arabic) "We feel grateful for this wonderful humanitarian initiative. This initiative which has really established that the peoples of the world and Britain and Europe and mainly the Arab people are against this unjust aggression, this blockade which is a crime against humanity." SUPER CAPTION: Tariq Aziz, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Galloway called on the U-N security council to lift sanctions. SOUNDBITE: (English with Arabic translation) "There is only one solution to this crisis and that's the lifting of these criminal sanctions and I hope that the majority of the permanent five will stand firm and insist on the lifting of this siege. On the front of our lovely British vehicle today the flags of Britain and Iraq are flying together. It must be some years since that has happened." SUPER CAPTION: George Galloway, British MP Galloway has been fighting sanctions against Iraq since becoming involved in the case of Mariam Hamza, a six-year-old Iraqi girl suffering from leukaemia. In 1997 he arranged for her to be taken to Scotland to receive treatment. Mariam returned to Iraq last year after recovering. But in August this year she suffered a relapse in August and travelled to Jordan for treatment last month. The 1963 double-deck bus has traveled 9400 miles (15 000 kilometres) stopping off along the way to drum up support for the cause of lifting sanctions. Galloway was accompanied by 11 human rights activists from Britain, Scotland, France and the United States. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Well basically the bus has traveled now to 11 countries and in every single country that we've been through the people of each country have been totally behind the people of Iraq. They are all opposed to sanctions. Everyone is calling for the lifting of sanctions. We've had meetings of thousands and thousands of people, from prime ministers and presidents to people in the street and they're all calling for the lifting of sanctions and it's about time the British and American governments listened." SUPER CAPTION: Volunteer The U-N Security Council is close to reaching an agreement on how to formulate a new policy on Iraq following almost a year of deadlock. The United States strongly backs a British-Dutch proposal which will conditionally ease sanctions on Iraq if it allows U-N weapons inspectors to resume their disarmament activities in the country. Find out more about AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: www.facebook.com/APArchives ​​ Instagram: www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/78231c09bff21f9…

• #
• #ap_archive
• #163370
• #78231c09bff21f98d3a33525ba75c64a
• #iraq_british_mp_george_galloway_visit
• #george_galloway
• #tariq_aziz
• #united_kingdom
• #scotland
• #baghdad
• #iraq
• #middle_east
• #london
• #jordan
• #western_europe
• #england
• #government_and_politics
• #social_affairs