BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

28/04/2008

Belarusian machinery suits Iraq better than U.S. analogues - Belarusiandeputy

MINSK. April 28 (Interfax) - There are good prospects for restoring relations between Belarus and Iraq, Belarusian deputy Nikolai Cherginets said.

"Iraq needs to restore its economy. It needs investment but also machinery produced in Belarus," Cherginets, who chairs the Commission for International Affairs and National Security in the Belarusian parliament, told Interfax on Monday.

The United States may attempt to disrupt machinery exports of "non- American or non-allied" origin to Iraq but will hardly succeed, he said.

In the deputy's opinion, "Iraqis, most of whom are poorly educated and lack technical skills, will find Belarusian machinery easy to operate", the more so that they are already familiar with Soviet equipment.

"Our machinery suits Iraqi conditions better than American analogues," the deputy said.

By establishing relations with Belarus, Iraq demonstrates independence in choosing its economic partners, Cherginets said.

He added that that otherwise Iraq would not have opened it is representation in Belarus.

Earlier, Iraq's Interim Charge d'Affaires in Belarus Tariq Hamdi al-Adhami and two more Iraqi diplomats arrived in Minsk. Iraq has had no diplomatic representation in Belarus since the overthrow of the Saddam Hussein regime.

Source:

http://www.interfax.com/3/389011/news.aspx

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