WORLD IN BRIEF : IRAQ : White House Fights Baghdad Sanctions

Bush Administration officials told a Senate committee they oppose trade sanctions against Iraq despite its “abysmal” human rights record and its use of chemical weapons, saying such measures would hurt U.S. farmers more than the Baghdad government. Both Democratic and Republican members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reacted angrily to the Administration position. Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kan.) said Amnesty International reports that Iraq has tortured and executed children left her in tears, and that just because U.S. sanctions might not work is no reason not to give them a try.