- Title: IRAQ: IRAQIS MARK EID AL-FITR
- Date: 7th December 2002
- Summary: (W5) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (DECEMBER 6, 2002) (REUTERS) SLV POSTER OF SADDAM HUSSEIN ON BUILDING; SLV CARS PASSING AND IRAQIS WALKING IN STREET; SLV ANOTHER POSTER OF SADDAM HUSSEIN; SLV PEOPLE WALKING IN MARKET; MV IRAQIS READING NEWSPAPERS (8 SHOTS) SLV STREET SCENE
- Embargoed: 22nd December 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BAGHDAD, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: General,Politics,Religion
- Reuters ID: LVA5JG2K5U3ZYJTVF216SUZTMI0X
- Story Text: Struggling under U.N. sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait and faced with the threat of a U.S.
attack, Iraqis marked Eid al-Fitr on Friday (December 6), but many ordinary Iraqis believe the arrival of the U.N inspectors will do little to avert war.
U.N. experts' hunt for banned biological, chemical or nuclear weapons will resume on Saturday (December 7) after they put their operation on halt for two days because of the Muslim holiday.
In his first comment on U.N. weapon inspectors since the arrival of the team to his country, Iraqi President Saddam Hussein said on Thursday that he was prepared to give them a chance to prove Iraq had no banned weapons.
The United States says it is prepared to go to war if necessary to force Iraq to comply with U.N. Security Council resolutions requiring it to give up chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Iraq says it has no such programmes, but that it will comply with a demand to turn over a dossier to the United Nations by December 8.
The Eid festival has been hard hit by the sanctions, which have reduced a well-to-do population enjoying the fruits of their country's oil wealth to little better than poverty.
The average Iraqi made the equivalent of more than 700 United States dollars (USD) a month before the embargo. Now, a government employee's monthly salary is worth as little as 15 USD. They manage to survive on government subsidies or handouts of staple foodstuffs. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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