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IRAQ
New effort against sanctionsVatican support for Iraqi position
The Holy See reaffirmed its opposition to the international sanctions in Iraq in a statement released June 9, as the president of the Iraqi parliament visited the Vatican.
Saadoun Hammadi was received by the Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Angelo Sodano, and the Secretary for Relations with States, Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran. In an official statement released by the Holy See in connection with that visit, the sanctions were denounced for creating hardships for the civilian population of Iraq.
Cardinal Sodano told the Iraqi delegation that the Holy See feels sympathy for the suffering people of Iraq. He also reminded his visitors that the Vatican has spoken out frequently in opposition to the international campaign against Iraq. That opposition, he recalled, began with the Persian Gulf war and has continued through a series of statements calling on international leaders to end the embargo.
Prior to the Gulf War, Pope John Paul spoke out privately and publicly urging a negotiated solution to the region’s problems, the cardinal pointed out. On January 16, 1991—just hours before the beginning of the air campaign against Iraq—the Pontiff placed a personal telephone call to US President George Bush, seeking to convince him to forestall the offensive.
While the visit by an Iraqi delegation to Rome helps to underline Vatican support for efforts to ease the international sanctions, it also shows progress in Vatican-Iraqi relations. No important Iraqi political figure had visited the Vatican since December 1999, when the Holy See announced the cancellation of plans for a papal visit to Iraq. At the time, there were clear indications of tensions between the Vatican and the Iraqi leadership.