France condemns Iraq sanctions

France has made one of its strongest calls yet for the lifting of economic sanctions against Iraq, condemning them as cruel, ineffective and dangerous.

They were imposed by the United Nations following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait, ten years ago today.

The senior United Nations official in charge of Iraqi affairs, Benon Sevan, is now in Baghdad amid speculation that he's brought a new plan to end the sanctions.

In Washington, the Clinton administration says it's assembling evidence of Iraqi atrocities, releasing what it says are secret Iraqi documents.

A senior official David Scheffer accused Iraqi forces of killing about one thousand civilians, and of carrying out widespread torture, with victims sexually abused and even killed in acid baths.

He said Washington was working hard to bring President Saddam Hussein to justice. Kuwait has meanwhile marked the anniversary by again calling on Iraq to return more than six-hundred prisoners it says Baghdad is still holding.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service