Iraq pays its FAO debts that exceeded US$5 millions

BAGHDAD / IraqiNews.com: Iraq has paid its debts to the UN Food & Agriculture Organization (FAO), that exceeded US$5 millions, a FAO statement announced on Tuesday.   “ Iraq has achieved an important step in its efforts to restore its international goodwill, through paying its debts to the FAO, based in Rome ,” Iraq ’s Representative in FAO, Hassan al-Janaby, told IraqiNews.com news agency.   Janaby said the debts were accumulated due to Iraq ’s failure to pay its subscription fees in FAO since 1991, that exceeded US$5 millions.   “The Iraqi government had resumed paying its FAO’s subscription fees since 2004 that covered the accumulated fees till that year,” he added.   Noteworthy is that Iraq had nominated its former Minister of Water Resources, Dr. Abdul-Latif Rashid, for the post of FAO’s Director-General, elections for whom will take lace in FAO’s 37 th Conference, scheduled to convene at the end of June next.   The Iraqi government is striving to build a hall in the name of Iraq in FAO’s headquarters, similar to other states, adding another achievement in Iraq ’s relations with the Organization, assigned to fight hunger and poverty in the world, in which Iraq had been a founding member, Janaby’s statement concluded.   SKH (IT) 621