| 1 | Iraq clears visit by Ohio official |
| 2 | By Scott Montgomery Washington |
| 3 | The Iraqi government has agreed to let U.S. Rep. Tony Hall visit the country next week to assess a humanitarian crisis that has festered since the Gulf War of 1990 , Hall 's office said Monday . The Dayton Democrat , who has traveled to other crisis points including Sierra Leone and North Korea , will spend three days visiting hospitals and other facilities to seek understanding why aid has been ineffective in stemming malnourishment and other medical problems . |
| 4 | Iraq has been under economic sanctions since the war ended , which some say have thwarted the country 's ability to recover from the devastation of the bombing campaign . |
| 5 | The Persian Gulf War destroyed much of the country 's medical infrastructure , according_to a report by the World Health Organization . In 1996 the WHO found that much of the population existed in a state of “ semi starvation . ” |
| 6 | Hall will be only the second member of Congress to travel in Iraq since the war , according_to Hall 's office . |
| 7 | The last visitor was then - U.S. Rep. Bill Richardson of New Mexico , who went to help a pair of U.S. oilmen in diplomatic trouble . |
| 8 | Hall flies to Amman , Jordan , on Friday , where he 'll spend the night before driving to Iraq . Flights are not permitted into Iraq . Hall is to return to Washington on April 22 . |
| 9 | Story Filed By Cox Newspapers |