Iraq optimistic sanctions will be lifted soon

The Iraqi Information Minister, Mr Hamam Abdul-Khaleq, says he's optimistic United Nations sanctions will be lifted soon.

He also said Iraq had met the conditions required of it by the UN weapons inspectorate charged with destroying Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.

Earlier, the UN chief weapons inspector for Iraq, Richard Butler, said he was planning to draw up a list of outstanding issues that Iraq needed to address in order to get sanctions lifted by October.

He said he would be discussing new information the UN has obtained concerning Iraq's weapons programme at a meeting in New York later this week with Iraq's foreign minister, Mohammad Said al-Sahaf.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service