ANKARA. Sept 8: Businessmen in Turkey's southern industrial centre of Gaziantep threatened yesterday to break a UN embargo on Iraq that has ruined the region's economy due to lost trade with their southeastern neighbour, says AFP.

"Business volume in Gaziantep has halved since the beginning of the embargo on Iraq six years ago."' said Mehmet Aslan, Chairman of the Gaziantep Chamber of Commerce. "Many business places here have had to close due to cut trade with Iraq."

"We are urging the United Nations to find a solution to this Otherwise we will use our

own methods to take care of our own business." Aslan told AFP in a telephone interview.

"We are not in favour of (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein's policies of violence. However. let the United Nations find a way to limit his weapons, but at the same time free trade with Iraq." Aslan said.

He complained that many of Turkey’s western allies had been continuing trade with Iraqi indirectly through companies in Jordan, the only country that has been allowed to have limited commercial relations with Baghdad.

Aslan said thousands of people, including businessmen.

transporters and tradesmen who have been adversely affected by the Iraq embargo, would come together at a Gaziantep rally on September 14 to voice their hardships.

Gaziantep. industrial capital of the southern region bordering Syria and Iraq, is Turkey's fifth biggest industrial centre despite its Iraq losses.

Iraq was Turkey's second-biggest trading partner before the Gulf crisis.

The Turkish foreign ministry says Turkey has lost nearly 27 billion dollars In potential trade and commerce with Baghdad due to the UN embargo.