BAGHDAD. Dec 31: Iraq’s parliament said on Tuesday it was losing patience with the United Nations and would not tolerate any further delay in the lifting of sanctions, reports Reuter.

"The extraordinary situation imposed on Iraq should have an immediate end ... and Iraq cannot endure any more harm, tyranny and aggression." said the Iraqi National Assembly in a statement carried by the official Iraqi news agency INA.

The statement said the assembly supported the powerful Revolutionary Command Council's firm stand against sanctions issued on December 20.

Iraqi leaders then said they would not remain idle if the United States continued to place obstacles in the path of the lifting of UN sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

Sanctions will not be lifted unless the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) in charge of dismantling Iraq's weapons of mass destruction gives a clean bill of health.

Last month the assembly said UNSCOM should end its work in six months' time and sanctions should be lifted im-

mediately.

Iraq -briefly expelled American members of UN inspection teams in November, prompting UNSCOM. chairman Richard Butler to withdraw most Inspectors.

Baghdad subsequently reversed its decision following Russian mediation and the inspectors returned, but Baghdad banned them from entering so-called "presidential sites."

Washington, which maintains a strong military presence in the Gulf, has repeatedly insisted that Iraq allow the investigators access to the sites and has refused to rule out the use of force if Iraq does not comply with the UN inspections regime.

“The Iraqi leadership and national assembly are unified to defend the Iraqi people ... and they are not scared of threats," the statement said.

They will not tolerate further procrastination and delay In lifting the embargo." it added.

Earlier. Iraq's Trade Minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh branded as lies US allegations that Baghdad was holding up UN approval of 120 billion dollar in food contracts under an oil-for-food deal with the United Nations.

The American administration is the big liar in the world." he told Reuters.

AFP from Washington adds: The United States is ready "to do everything possible" to improve food and medicine distribution in Iraq under an improved UN "Oil for food" deal the US State Department said Tuesday.

And Washington "will be prepared to act immediately" on a report from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, expected in early 1998. on how to improve delivery of humanitarian aid. said State Department spokesman James Foley.

Foley stressed that US officials "believe the blame for distribution delays is 100 per cent on Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's shoulders" and accused Iraq of reducing purchases of basic goods for its people.

Saddam "has continued to plough resources into areas that nave nothing to do with meeting the humanitarian needs of his own people." said Foley, pointing to "tne proliferation of so-called presidential palaces."

And Foley said Baghdad delayed the delivery of mijk to Iraqi children by refusing to follow the established proce-

dure for UN approval of "Oil for food" contracts.

He emphasised that Washington gave the go-ahead to a contract for delivery of powdered baby formula proposed by Tunisia December 23 even though the contract overstepped the bounds set by the "oil for food" deal.

Pope John Paul II is trying to get the UN embargo against Iraq lifted, the apostolic nuncio here told an Iraqi official Tuesday, according to the official Iraqi News Agency INA.

The holy father supports the Iraqi people and Is working continuously for the lifting of the embargo, the cause of the deaths of children, women and the elderly." INA quoted the Pope representative as saying.

He was speaking during a meeting with the chief of the Iraqi parliament's Arab and international affairs committee, Saad Qassem Harnudi.

Who gave the Vatican diplomat a Christmas message fpr the Pope from humanitarian groups.

The Iraqi parliament asked Pope John Paul II on Christmas to "redouble his efforts to bring an end to the suffering of the Iraqi people and to lift the unjust embargo imposted on 22 million Iraqis." INA said.