Text of report by Iraqi TV on Thursday

Foreign Minister Muhammad Said al-Sahhaf received a delegation representing the Russian Liberal Democratic Party this evening.

The delegation includes members of the State Duma, the parliament, who arrived in Baghdad this evening aboard a Russian aircraft carrying medical aid and gifts to the people and children of Iraq.

Sahhaf welcomed the guest delegation, expressing Iraq's thanks for this brave gesture by Iraq's friends in the Russian Federation. The minister praised the relations of friendship and cooperation between Iraq and Russia, stressing Iraq's desire to promote these relations in all fields.

Sahhaf also commended the good efforts made by the Russian Liberal Democratic Party in support of the Iraqi people's steadfastness.

These efforts have resulted in this historic trip, which expresses the deep friendship between the peoples of the two friendly countries. He hoped that such flights will be repeated in the future.

The members of the Russian delegation said they were happy to be visiting Iraq, noting the warm welcome they received at Saddam International Airport.

Their plane is the first to land at Saddam International Airport since the unjust aggression against Iraq began on 17th January 1991.

The Russian TU-154 aircraft landed at approximately 2000 [1700 gmt] today. The aircraft came from Kermanshah in Iran.

The Russian plane carried 21 parliamentary figures, who are members of the Russian Duma, the parliament, in addition to five tonnes of medicines donated by the Russian people as a gift to the people and children of Iraq.

The last aircraft to take off from Saddam International Airport before it was closed was also Russian. It transported Russian nationals from Iraq at 2200 on 16th January 1991, hours before the treacherous aggression against Iraq.

Source: Iraqi TV, Baghdad, in Arabic 2000 gmt 25 Dec 97

BBC Monitoring (http://www.monitor.bbc.co.uk), based in Caversham in southern England, selects and translates information from radio, television, press, news agencies and the Internet from 150 countries in more than 70 languages.
 

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