Azhar Kamel, age 7, her strength depleted and her hair all gone, sleeps soundly as she receives her treatment from a drip bag. Her case is serious and the mortality rate is high, the doctor says. Ten children die at the hospital in a typical week, many from leukemia, and Firas believes half could be saved with more medicine and better equipment. The sanctions have never prevented Iraq from importing medicine. The Americans argue that Saddam spends the money on weapons and palaces.
Nothing prevents it from requesting more.
Saddam's government has often predicted the embargo was about to fall. These days it insists the momentum is on its side. Since September, dozens of civilian flights have arrived, many from Middle Eastern states. The skies over the capital had been silent for nearly a decade, but the prospect of trade deals, including billion-dollar contracts to develop Iraqi oil fields, has brought flights from France and Russia as well. By Greg Myre MMI The Associated Press.