Ohio Congressman Arrives in Jordan
<LU_ANNOTATE>
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."
</LU_ANNOTATE WC = 196>
   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.