
	
		
			Ohio Congressman Arrives in Jordan
			AMMAN, Jordan (AP) U.S. Representative Tony Hall arrived in Jordan on
				Saturday en route to Iraq, where he is expected to look into the plight
				of Iraqis after nearly 10 years of U.N. trade sanctions.
			Hall, an Ohio Democrat and one of very few U.S. congressmen to visit
				Iraq since the 1991 Gulf War over Kuwait, is scheduled to embark Sunday
				the 12-hour overland trip to the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.
			He did not speak to reporters in Jordan, but he told The Associated
				Press before leaving the United States that he hopes to "separate the
				humanitarian work from the political issues." 
			During his four days in Iraq, Hall said he wanted to investigate
				reports from relief agencies that a quarter of Iraqi children may be
				suffering from chronic malnutrition.
			He said he would pay particular attention to what happens to food and
				medicine entering the country under the U.N. oil-for-food program. If
				supplies are not reaching the people who need them, Hall said, he wanted
				to find out whether the United Nations or relief agencies needed to
				handle things differently, or whether "Iraq needs to get out of the way
				and let us do the job."
			The Iraqi government blames the embargo for the malnutrition, infant
				mortality and other hardships.
			The sanctions cannot be lifted until U.N. inspectors certify that Iraq
				has eliminated its weapons of mass destruction and the means to produce
				them. Iraq says it has done so and has barred inspectors since late
				1998.
			At least one other congressman has visited Iraq. Energy Secretary Bill
				Richardson went to Baghdad in 1995 while a representative for New
				Mexico.
		
	
