Iraqi TV reports agreement with UN on "evaluation meetings"

Iraqi television on Tuesday reported the agreement between Baghdad and the UN to hold "technical evaluation meetings" on Iraq's progress in disarmament as follows:

"The Iraqi News Agency [INA] learned that an Iraqi delegation, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, and a UN Special Commission delegation, headed by Richard Butler, held two rounds of talks last night and this morning.

"INA's correspondent learned that the talks between the two sides focused on relations between Iraq and the Special Commission. The two sides presented their views on the subjects under discussion.

"The two sides agreed to hold the technical evaluation meetings in early February.

"These meetings - which will be attended by experts from the UN Security Council member states, as well as Germany and UN Special Commission staff - will discuss two basic issues - the missile warheads and the VX agent.

"A third round of talks between Iraq and the UN Special Commission is expected to be held later on Tuesday evening."

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.