(27 Jun 2000) English/Nat
U-S Vice President Al Gore has told Iraqi opposition leaders that Saddam Hussein stands in the way of Middle East peace and "must be removed from power".
The Democratic presidential candidate assured Saddam's foes that the U-S remained committed to their cause of toppling the Iraqi dictator.
On Monday, Vice President Al Gore made good on his promise to speak with Iraqi opposition leaders opposed to the rule of President Saddam Hussein.
The Democratic presidential candidate gave a short speech and posed for a photo opportunity at the State Department before meeting privately with representatives from groups opposing Saddam Hussein.
Gore said the Iraqi dictator was a threat to peace, not only in Iraq, but in the entire region.
SOUNDBITE: (English)
"There can be no peace for the Iraqi people and no genuine peace for the people of the Middle East so long as Saddam is in a position to brutalise his people and threaten his neighbours. In the interest of regional peace and for the sake of human decency, he must be removed from power."
SUPER CAPTION: Al Gore, U-S Vice President
Gore also said the U-S would continue to enforce the "no-fly zones" over southern and northern Iraq.
Ahmad Chalabi, leader of the Iraqi National Congress, was among the nine Iraqi opposition figures in attendance.
Other groups represented at the session included the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, the Kurdish Democratic Party and the Constitutional Monarchist Movement.
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