During his meeting with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Saturday morning, Amat expressed "deep sympathy from the Chinese government and people for the Iraqi people under sanctions."

"We are willing to continue to make efforts for an early settlement to the Iraqi issue," he said.

China cherishes the friendly and cooperative relations with Iraq and is willing to expand bilateral cooperation in political, economic, cultural and other fields, said Amat.

Amat also handed over a letter from Chinese President Jiang Zemin to Saddam Hussein.

For his part, Saddam reiterated Iraq's long-term policy of developing relations of friendship and cooperation with China, and expressed belief that there will be broad prospects for bilateral cooperation.

The Chinese official also held separate talks with Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan and Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz on Saturday, and visited a children's hospital in Baghdad to have a better understanding of the sufferings of the Iraqi people under decade-old UN sanctions.

Iraq has been under stringent United Nations sanctions ever since it invaded neighboring Kuwait in 1990.

Amat and the 70-member delegation arrived in Baghdad Friday afternoon by plane, which also brought 10 tons of humanitarian aid to the sanctions-stricken country.

(Xinhua 12/25/2000)