Iraqis embark on UN talks

The United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, has said he does not expect miracles from talks that have begun in New York with senior Iraqi officials.

However, he expressed hope that a way of breaking the current impasse on sanctions and weapons inspections could be found.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister, Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf, told reporters that he was going to explain his country's position and press for the lifting of sanctions, saying Iraq had met all the requirements.

The UN Security Council has said arms inspectors must return to Iraq and verify that Baghdad no longer possesses weapons of mass destruction before sanctions can be lifted. The talks are the first high-level substantive contact between the two sides since UN weapons inspectors left Iraq more than two years ago.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service