UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 14 -- The United States said Monday the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein is building leisure palaces worth at least $1 billion while claiming that the U.N. economic embargo is causing famine in the country. U.S. Ambassador Madeleine Albright showed satellite pictures to the 15-nation Security Council as proof that Hussein was building a series of palaces, complete with Italian marble, said her spokesman, James Rubin. 'We want to rebut the hypocritical attitude of the Saddam Hussein regime, which claims that U.N. sanctions are causing hunger in the population,' Rubin said.
The council was holding a closed-door meeting to review sanctions against Iraq. It was convened also to discuss steps taken by Baghdad to recognize Kuwait's sovereignty and borders, which were supported by documents given to the council by Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. Aziz told reporters that the charge against his government regarding the palaces was 'rubbish.' He said his country is a nation of 'great builders.' 'We not only build palaces, we have built bridges, hospitals and refineries and power stations,' Aziz said. He said his government has been trying to rebuild everything that was destroyed during the 1991 Gulf war. Aziz met Albright for less than two minutes to hand over documents regarding Iraq's recognition of Kuwait.
