Sylvana Foa, Spokesman for Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, told correspondents at today's noon briefing that the Secretary-General had spoken at length on the telephone with Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, at 1 a.m. today. As a result of that conversation, it was decided to postpone the oil-for-food talks between Iraq and the United Nations until the Secretary-General's return from Africa in early May.
The Secretary-General and Mr. Aziz, she continued, shared the view that much progress had been achieved, but that certain problems remained requiring further negotiations. They agreed that the political will existed on both sides to continue the negotiations and to overcome remaining difficulties.
The Secretary-General asked the United Nations Legal Counsel, who also heads the United Nations negotiating team on the oil-for-food talks, Hans Corell, to brief the Security Council, and he would do so today at 4 p.m. The Secretary-General would meet with the head of the Iraqi delegation to the talks, Abdul Amir Al-Anbari, at noon today.
The next round of talks -- the fourth -- would definitely take place in New York, Ms. Foa added. * *** *
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