Report: Iraq Asked Finland About Anthrax

HELSINKI, Finland (AP) – The Iraqi Embassy in Helsinki sought information about anthrax from the foreign ministry in October, Finnish media reported Saturday.

The query — reportedly lodged about a month before the return of U.N. weapons inspectors to Baghdad — sought suitable methods “for the early detection of anthrax,” the Ilta-Sanomat newspaper reported.

The request also concerned “ways of protecting against anthrax, as well as methods, procedures and equipment needed for decontamination,” the tabloid said.

Ilta-Sanomat said that the head of the foreign ministry’s political division, Markus Lyra, confirmed the report.

“We did not answer it (the request) at all, and there have been no further discussions,” Lyra was quoted as saying. “It is not our field.”

“One wonders, whether it was intended simply for propaganda or similar purposes,” he added.

Foreign ministry officials were unavailable for comment Saturday.

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