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Iraq
Overview
Travel Warning
We strongly advise against all travel to Iraq and suggest you visit one of the following government websites for the latest risk assessment:
British Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Website: www.fco.gov.uk/travel/countryadvice.asp
Tel: +44 (0)20 7238 4503/4
US Department of State
Website: http://travel.state.gov/travel_warnings.html
Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade
Website: http://voyage.dfait-maeci.gc.ca/destinations/menu
General Information
Area: 438,317 sq km (169,235 sq miles).
Population: 22,017,983 (1997).
Population Density: 50.2 per sq km.
Capital: Baghdad. Population: 4,044,000 (1990).
GEOGRAPHY: Iraq shares borders with Turkey, Iran, the Gulf of Oman, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria. There is also a neutral zone between Iraq and Saudi Arabia administered jointly by the two countries. Iraq’s portion covers 3522 sq km (1360 sq miles). The country’s main topographical features are the two rivers, the Tigris and the Euphrates, which flow from the Turkish and Syrian borders in the north to the Gulf in the south. The northeast is mountainous, while in the west the country is arid desert. The land surrounding the two rivers is fertile plain, but the lack of effective irrigation has resulted in flooding and areas of marshland.
Government: Republic. Head of State and Government: President Saddam Hussein el-Takriti since 1979.
Language: Eighty per cent Arabic, 15 per cent Kurdish.
Religion: Forty-five per cent Sunni Muslim, 50 per cent Shia Muslim, with Druze and Christian minorities.
Time: GMT + 3 (GMT + 4 from 1 May to 30 September).
Electricity: 220 volts AC, 50Hz. Various two- and three-pin plugs are in use.
Communications:
Telephone
IDD service is available. Country code: 964. Outgoing international code: 00.
Mobile telephone
There are no networks available at present.
Telegram/Fax
There are facilities in Baghdad. Telegrams can be sent from the telegraph office next to the post office in Rashid Street. Services are also available at major hotels.
Internet
There are no ISPs in Iraq at present. However, there is at least one Internet cafe in Baghdad centre.
Post
Airmail between Western Europe and Iraq usually takes five to ten days, but can take longer. Visitors should avoid using surface mail.
Press
Newspapers published in Arabic include Ath-Thawra, Al-Iraq and Al-Baath ar-Riyadhi. Periodicals are also published. The main English-language daily is the Baghdad Observer.
BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change.
BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice):
Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov):
Passport/Visa
| | Passport Required? | Visa Required? | Return Ticket Required? | | British | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Australian | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Canadian | Yes | Yes | Yes | | USA | Yes | Yes | Yes | | OtherEU | Yes | Yes | Yes | | Japanese | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Entry restrictions: Holders of Israeli passports or other passports containing Israeli visas will be refused entry. In addition, Jewish passengers may be refused admission if their religion is mentioned in their passport.
PASSPORTS: Passport valid for at least six months from date of issue of visa required by all.
VISAS: Required by all except nationals of Jordan (including Palestinians with Jordanian passports).
Types of visa and cost: Tourist (these must be organised through an approved travel agent and should be arranged before entry into Iraq): £40. Business (visits by express invitation of the Iraqi Government only): £40.
Validity: Business visas are valid for three months. Tourist visas are valid for ten days and must be used within three months of receipt.
Application to: Consulate (or Consular section at Embassy); see Contact Addresses section for details.
Application requirements: (a) Valid passport. (b) Two passport-size photos. (c) One application form. (d) Fee.
Note: An HIV certificate is required by all. If an HIV certificate is not produced the test will need to be taken in Iraq before entry is permitted.
Working days required: One week from receipt of approval from Baghdad (which may take one month or more).
Exit permits: (a) Nationals of countries not belonging to the Arab League who wish to stay longer than ten days or beyond the validity of their visa must obtain an Arrival Notice from the Directorate of Residents in Sa’adoun Street, Baghdad, within ten days of arrival. Applicants must present a letter of support from their sponsors (usually a government office) and two photographs. The Arrival Notice obviates the need for an Exit Permit unless the visit will exceed 30 days, in which case the applicant must obtain a further letter of support and possibly a Residence Permit (which itself will only be issued on presentation of a Work Permit). A fine is imposed on those not adhering to these requirements and offenders may encounter great difficulty in leaving Iraq. (b) Nationals of Arab League countries must obtain an Arab Affairs Card from an Arab Affairs Office within ten days of arrival. This also obviates the need for an Exit Permit.
Money
Currency: Iraqi Dinar (ID) = 20 dirhams = 1000 fils. Notes are in denominations of ID1000, 500, 250 and 100. Coins are now seldom used in view of rampant inflation in Iraq, but denominations of ID1 and a variety of fils exist. A large number of commemorative coins have also been minted, some for everyday circulation, others for collectors.
Currency exchange: Foreign currency can be used at special duty-free shops in Baghdad up to a value of US$200. To obtain this concession, goods must be purchased within 20 days of arrival and passports must be produced.
Credit & debit cards: Not widely used.
Travellers cheques: These are not generally accepted.
Currency restrictions: The import of local currency is allowed up to ID25 and export up to ID5. The import of foreign currency is unlimited, provided declared on arrival. The export of foreign currency is limited to the amount imported and declared.
Exchange rate indicators
The following figures are included as a guide to the movements of the Iraqi Dinar against Sterling and the US Dollar:
| Date | May ’02 | Aug ’02 | Nov ’02 | Feb ’03 | | £1.00= | 0.45 | 0.47 | 0.49 | 0.50 | | $1.00= | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.31 | 0.31 |
Banking hours: Sat-Wed 0800-1200, Thurs 0800-1100. Banks close at 1000 during Ramadan.
Duty Free
The following goods may be imported into Iraq without incurring customs duty:
200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250g tobacco; 1 bottle wine and 1 bottle spirits with a total volume of not more than 1l; 500ml of perfume (two small opened bottles); gifts to the value of ID100.
Note: (a) The total value of the above goods may not exceed ID100. (b) Travellers who have not left the country within 120 days must report to customs.
Prohibited items: Electrical appliances other than personal effects, souvenirs in quantities considered to have commercial value, many types of fruits and plants.
Public Holidays
Jan 1 2003 New Year’s Day. Jan 6 Army Day. Feb 8 Ramadan Revolution. Feb 12 Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice). Mar 5 Islamic New Year. Mar 14 Ashoura. Apr 17 FAO Day. May 1 Labour Day. May 14 Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet Muhammad). Jul 14 National Day. Jul 17 Republic Day. Aug 8 Ceasefire Day (End of Iran-Iraq War). Nov 26-28 Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan). Jan 1 2004 New Year’s Day. Jan 6 Army Day. Feb 2 Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice). Feb 8 Ramadan Revolution. Feb 22 Islamic New Year. Mar 2 Ashoura. Apr 17 FAO Day. May 1 Labour Day. May 2 Mouloud (Birth of the Prophet Muhammad). Jul 14 National Day. Jul 17 Republic Day. Aug 8 Ceasefire Day (End of Iran-Iraq War). Nov 14-16 Eid al-Fitr (End of Ramadan).
Note: Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon and the dates given above are approximations. During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha may last anything from two to ten days, depending on the region. For more information, see the World of Islam appendix.
Health
| | Special Precautions | Certificate Required | | Yellow Fever | No | 1 | | Cholera | No | No | | Typhoid and Polio | 2 | N/A | | Malaria | 3 | N/A |
1: A yellow fever vaccination certificate is required from travellers coming from infected areas.
2: Vaccination against typhoid is advised.
3: Malaria risk is almost entirely in the benign vivax form and exists from May to November principally in areas in the north below 1500m (4920ft) – Basrah, Duhok, Erbil, Ninawa, Sulaimaniya and Ta’min Province.
Food & drink: All water should be regarded as being potentially contaminated. Water used for drinking, brushing teeth or making ice should have first been boiled or otherwise sterilised. Milk is unpasteurised and should be boiled. Powdered or tinned milk is available and is advised, but make sure that it is reconstituted with pure water. Avoid dairy products which are likely to have been made from unboiled milk. Only eat well-cooked meat and fish, preferably served hot. Pork, salad and mayonnaise may carry increased risk. Vegetables should be cooked and fruit peeled.
Note: (a) All travellers entering Iraq are required to take an AIDS test. A fee will be charged for this. (b) Travellers suffering from AIDS, tuberculosis, syphilis or leprosy will be deported.
Other risks: Bilharzia (schistosomiasis) is present. Avoid swimming and paddling in fresh water. Swimming pools which are well chlorinated and maintained are safe. Diarrhoeal diseases, including giardiasis, dysentery and typhoid fever are common. Hepatitis B is endemic and hepatitis A is widespread. Visceral leishmaniasis is common in central Iraq. Cutaneous leishmaniasis is reported. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever has been reported. Tick-borne relapsing fever may occur. Rabies is present. For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. If you are bitten, seek medical advice without delay. For more information, consult the Health appendix.
Health care: Health insurance including emergency repatriation cover is essential. Basic modern medical care and medicines may not be available. Doctors and hospitals often expect immediate cash payment for services.
Travel - International
Note: It is not recommended to travel to Iraq. As well as the current threat of war, some areas suffered serious damage from the Gulf War and infrastructures once intact may be found to be severely damaged or non-existent. For further advice visitors should contact their local government travel advice department.
AIR: Iraq’s national airline is Iraqi Airways (IA). At present, all air travel into Iraq is prohibited owing to UN sanctions against Iraq. However, despite these sanctions, Royal Jordanian Airlines now operate daily flights between Baghdad and Amman (Jordan), and there are two return flights (Monday and Friday) between Baghdad and Damascus (Syrian Arab Republic).
Approximate flight times: From Baghdad to London is 6 hours.
International airports: Baghdad (BGW) is 18km (11 miles) south of the city (travel time – 20 minutes). Taxi services go to the city with rates negotiable for shared taxis. There is a surcharge after 2200. Airport facilities include 24-hour banks, bureaux de change, post office, duty-free shops, bars, restaurants, snack bar, shops and first aid. Car hire is also available. Coach service is available to the city and returns from Damascus Street (100 minutes before flight departure).
Departure tax: ID2000.
SEA: At present, all ports in Iraq are closed.
RAIL: The 14-hour rail journey between Mosul and Aleppo (Syrian Arab Republic) re-opened in 2000.
ROAD: At present, only the borders from Turkey and Jordan are open to road travel. Before the Gulf War, principal international routes ran through Turkey, Syria and Jordan. Work on the Express Highway, an attempt to link Iraq with Kuwait, Syria and Jordan, has been suspended for the time being. For further information, contact the Iraqi Interests Section for up-to-date political conditions and border details.
Travel - Internal
AIR: At the present time, aircraft are not normally allowed into Baghdad. However, before sanctions there were regular flights between Baghdad, Al Basrah and Mosul.
RAIL: Rail services are operated by the State Enterprise for Iraqi Railways. The country has over 2000km (1242 miles) of track, most of which is standard gauge. A further 300km (200 miles) or so is under construction. The principal route is from the Syrian border at Tel-Kotchek to Mosul, Baghdad and Al Basrah. Trains also run from Baghdad to Kirkuk and Arbil. A service operates three times daily between Baghdad and Al Basrah. Some sleeping cars, restaurants and air-conditioned coaches are available.
Note: Many tracks were destroyed during the fighting and it is uncertain if any passenger services are running at all.
ROAD: Traffic drives on the right. There are 36,500km (22,680 miles) of road. Principal routes are from Baghdad to Kirkuk, Arbil and Zakho; Baghdad to the Jordanian frontier; Baghdad to Kanaquin (Iranian border); Baghdad to Hilla and Kerbela; and Baghdad to Al Basrah and Safwan (Kuwait border). Bus: Services run from Baghdad and other main cities. Taxi: Services are available both in cities and for transit. Fares should be negotiated in advance. Metered taxis charge twice the amount shown on the meter. Tipping is not necessary. Car hire: Available at the airport and in Baghdad. Documentation: International Driving Permit required. Third Party insurance is necessary.
URBAN: Baghdad has an extensive bus system with double-deckers, and also private minibuses and share-taxis. Bus tickets should be pre-purchased at kiosks. A metro is under construction.
Accommodation
Mainly for business travellers. Hotel accommodation is limited and bookings should be made in advance. All prices are set by the Government for high-class hotels. Small hotels are also available for low budgets, but with a lower standard of facilities. Hotel bills are payable in foreign currency. A ten per cent service charge is usually added to the bill.
Introduction
BAGHDAD: In the capital, there is a striking contrast between the new buildings and the shabbier back streets. The Government aims to preserve the city’s Islamic character by protecting the ruins of historic buildings such as the Ike Abbasid Palace. Long-established markets still trade. The museums of Iraqi Folklore and Modern Art are well worth visiting. The River Tigris is a central feature of the city.
Excursions: South of the capital is Babylon, the great city once ruled by the Semitic King Hammirabi. The city, and particularly the famous Hanging Gardens, are now being restored.
NORTHERN/KURDISH REGION: This is a mountainous and forested area. The enormous friction between the Government and the Kurds, who have established a de facto autonomous state in Iraqi Kurdistan, makes travel in this region inadvisable at present. Check with the government advice services for up-to-date advice.
Mosul is the main northern town, with the 13th-century Palace of Qara Sariai and the old Mosque of Nabi Jirjis. Nineveh is an ancient and rich archaeological site near Mosul.
Arbil is probably the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. Kirkuk has assumed importance since the discovery of oil. It is famous for ‘Eternal Fires’, the endless burning of gas seepage.
Social Profile
Food & Drink: Restaurants serve both Middle Eastern and European dishes. Popular Iraqi dishes are kubba, dolma (vine leaves, cabbage, lettuce, onions, aubergine, marrow or cucumbers stuffed with rice, meat and spices), tikka (small chunks of mutton on skewers grilled on a charcoal fire), quozi (small lamb boiled whole and grilled, stuffed with rice, minced meat and spices and served on rice) and masgouf (fish from the Tigris, cooked on the river bank). Waiter service is usual.
There is strict adherence to Islamic laws on the consumption of alcohol, which is available within the limits of religious laws. A permit for alcohol may be necessary, although this may only be valid at international hotels. Certain hotels prohibit the consumption of alcohol by visitors. During the lunar month of Ramadan, smoking and drinking in public is not permitted.
Nightlife: Baghdad has nightclubs with cabaret, music and dancing, as do other main towns. There are also cinemas, theatres and bars.
Shopping: The long-established town markets sell copperware, silver, spices, carpets and brightly coloured rugs. In Baghdad the copper market is a centre of noisy activity with coppersmiths beating their pots into shape. Shopping hours: Sat-Thurs 0830-1300 and 1700-1900.
Social Conventions: Owing to a long and varied history, Iraq is a culturally rich country. Today, traditional Islamic culture predominates, with Koranic law playing an active role in the day-to-day life of the country, and visitors should be careful to respect this and act accordingly. Visitors should always address their hosts by full name and title. Traditional Arab hospitality is followed as a rule, in accordance with religious law. Conservative and discreet dress should be worn in observance of local Islamic laws. Photography: The summary execution of journalist Farzad Bazoft exemplifies the need for extreme caution when photographing anything of a sensitive nature. This includes photographs of local people (the Muslim religion does not allow the representation of human or animal images in any form); and, most importantly, any government installations, buildings or indeed anything else that may be considered off-limits to visitors. If in any doubt, do not take a photo. Tipping: Normal limit is ten to 15 per cent. Taxi drivers need not be tipped since the fare is agreed before the journey.
Business Profile
Economy: The Iran-Iraq war, which lasted from 1980 until 1988, brought Iraq’s steady growth to a halt. The international sanctions imposed following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 then forced the economy into reverse. Only the agricultural sector held up as Iraq sought to grow more food in order to compensate for the absence of imported produce. Light industry, which the Government originally promoted as part of an import substitution programme, operated far below the levels of the 1980s. The key was the oil industry. Under the terms of UN sanctions the Iraqis were allowed to sell US$2 billion of oil every six months to buy food and medical items. However, by 2001, the Iraqi government had developed sufficient ‘illicit’ markets outside the constraints of sanctions that it was prepared to announce that it was no longer prepared to subscribe to the agreement and withdrew its product from the official international market.
Iraq’s main pre-war trading partners were the USA, Germany, Turkey, the UK, Italy and France. Iraq has a huge foreign debt, mostly owed to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, incurred chiefly during the war with Iran; it also suffered several bouts of hyperinflation during the 1990s as the value of the Iraqi dinar plummeted. Given the huge damage to its physical and social infrastructure, it may be several decades before Iraq returns to the level of development which it enjoyed in the mid-1980s. After its initial calamitous decline, the performance of the Iraqi economy has been comparatively stable: the fluctuations – GDP contraction of two per cent in 2002, followed by projected six per cent growth in 2003 – are almost entirely the result of conditions in the world oil market.
Business: Formal courtesies are common and expected. Visiting cards are regularly exchanged and these are often printed in Arabic and English. Meetings may not always be on a person-to-person basis and it is often difficult to confine items to the business in progress as many topics may be discussed in order to assess the character of colleagues or traders. Office hours: Sat-Wed 0800-1400; Thurs 0800-1300. Friday is the weekly day of rest when offices tend to be closed.
Commercial Information: For information or advice contact the Federation of Iraqi Chambers of Commerce, PO Box 11348, Mustansir Street, Baghdad (tel: (1) 888 8850; fax: (1) 888 2305) or the Baghdad Chamber of Commerce, PO Box 24168 Almsarif, Baghdad Almustansir Street, Baghdad (tel: (1) 887 6211/1; fax: (1) 887 9563).
Climate
Summers are very hot and dry. Winters are warm with some rain.
Required clothing: Tropical attire is worn in summer months. Mediumweights are advised during the winter.
History and Government
History: Mesopotamia – the core of modern Iraq – was at the heart of the Sumerian, Babylonian and Assyrian empires between the seventh century BC and AD 100. After brief spells under the rule of the Romans and the Sassanids (a minor regional power at the time), the Arabs conquered Iraq in AD 633. The Arab Caliphate had control of the territory during the late 12th and early 13th centuries before being dislodged by the Mongols. At the end of the 14th century Iraq, Azerbaijan to the north, Persia and parts of Turkey, Syria and Transcaucasia were conquered and subsumed into the empire ruled by Timur (also known as Tamerlane). The Turks were the next imperial invaders, ruling from the early 1500s until the collapse of the Ottoman Empire at the end of World War I.
In 1920, Iraq was placed under a League of Nations mandate administered by the UK, whose forces had occupied most of the country. The Hashemite Amir Faisal ibn Hussain, brother of the new ruler of neighbouring Jordan, Abdallah, was proclaimed King in 1921. The country achieved independence in 1932, but British forces intervened once again in 1941 to prevent a pro-Nazi coup. British troops were finally withdrawn in 1947. In 1958, the Hashemite Dynasty was overthrown by a group of radical army officers inspired by the example of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Egypt, and led by Brigadier Abdul al-Karim Kassem. The new regime failed to consolidate its position, however, and relied on a precarious coalition of forces, which quickly disintegrated.
After Kassem was killed in 1963 during a further coup, Colonel Abdul Salem Muhammed Aref set up a new government. Iraq declared war on Israel at the outbreak of the Six-Day War in June 1967, although Iraqi forces were not engaged. In 1968, Iraq’s final coup in recent history brought to power the Ba’ath Party. Ba’ath ideology espouses pan-Arabism, socialism and resistance to foreign interference, although many political scientists have noted its similarity to European fascism. Ba’athism was originally brought into Iraq from Syria during the 1950s and grew quickly. As it did so, however, the Syrian and Iraqi strains grew apart from one another and by the end of the 1960s were mutually hostile.
Since then, relations between Iraq and Syria have deteriorated still further: a decade later, Syria was a willing participant in the USA-led coalition which expelled Iraqi occupation forces from Kuwait. In July 1979, after a power struggle within the Ba’ath Party, Vice President Saddam Hussein took over as President and party leader. Saddam’s main objectives were to establish his country as the undisputed leader of the Arab world and to overcome the Arabs’ two principal enemies in the Middle East, Iran and Israel. Saddam reached the top at a time of escalating tension between Iran and Iraq. Iran appeared to be in chaos following the Islamic revolution which overthrew the Shah. The Iraqis perceived a good opportunity to resolve a long-running territorial dispute over the Shatt al-Arab waterway which feeds the Gulf and divides the two countries.
The Iraqis revoked a settlement of the dispute reached in 1975 and launched a full-scale invasion of Iran in September 1980. In the face of unexpectedly stiff Iranian resistance, the Iraqis failed to win the decisive military victory they had hoped for and the war degenerated into one of attrition, employing tactics similar to those of World War I. As in Europe 70 years earlier, use was made of poison gas – initially against massed ranks of Iranian troops and then later against the civilian population. This was the first confirmation of Iraq’s possession of weapons of mass destruction as well as a huge arsenal of conventional weaponry.
The fighting lasted until August 1988 when the two exhausted nations sued for peace with Iraq having made some minor territorial gains. The Iraqi economy was crippled and had incurred an enormous foreign debt, much of which was owed to neighbouring Kuwait: this became a serious source of friction between the two governments over the next two years.
Insistent demands by the Kuwaitis for repayment, Iraq’s historical claim over Kuwaiti territory (dating back to the 1920s), and a dispute over oil reserves provided the main pretext for the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in August 1990. The American-led response to the invasion, which received firm backing from the UN in the form of mandatory sanctions and an authorisation to use military force, surprised the Iraqis. By the beginning of March 1991, the Iraqi armed forces had suffered a massive defeat and the Iraqi regime itself was under serious threat from armed opposition elements among the predominantly Shia population of southern Iraq and the Kurds in the north. However, the superior firepower of Iraqi troops – some held in reserve, some reorganised from units fleeing the UN coalition –was sufficient to defeat the rebels. The Western refusal to provide effective backing for the rebels was based on the lack of a UN mandate (which had only endorsed the expulsion of Iraqi forces from Kuwait) as well as the practical fear of a ‘Balkanised’ post-Saddam Iraq whereby the country splits into three mutually antagonistic entities (Shia, Sunni and Kurdish respectively).
Thereafter, the USA, supported by Britain and others, used several means to constrain Iraq. ‘No-fly’ zones were established, covering the north and south of the country, in which all Iraqi air movement was forbidden (this allowed the Kurds to create an effectively autonomous region within the country). A UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) was formed to try to locate and destroy the remaining stocks and production facilities of Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological warfare programmes. Iraq was also subject to a complete trade embargo excepting a strictly controlled regimen of oil sales, the proceeds of which the Iraqi government could use to buy food and medicines.
By 1998, Iraq had developed sufficient means of circumventing sanctions and political confidence to throw out the UNSCOM inspectors. International support for the sanctions regime had waned to point where only the US and Britain still backed its continued use. The two countries police the ‘no-fly’ zones and launch occasional bomb attacks (about one a month) on Iraqi military and strategic installations.
At home, Saddam’s position is as strong as ever, although he continues to suffer a haemorrhage of senior and experienced personnel escaping into exile. His two sons, Uday and Qusay, are being groomed for the succession – the increasingly bitter rivalry between them is becoming a central feature of Iraqi domestic politics. In the meantime, Saddam has put his country on a virtual war footing. The US administration of George W Bush (son of President George Bush who presided over the 1991 Gulf war) appears to consider Iraq ‘unfinished business’ and, in the vengeful mood following the attacks of 11 September, to have set itself on the removal of Saddam by any means. There are two main problems for the Americans: finding a replacement for Saddam – no easy task given the chaotic and discordant nature of the Iraqi opposition – and managing the unpredictable consequences of launching a full-scale war in a region already in political ferment.
Government: Since 1970, the supreme political body has been the nine-member Revolutionary Command Council (RCC). Its chairman is President Saddam Hussein. The National Assembly consists of 250 delegates and formally shares responsibility for legislation with the RCC, although in practice the decisions of the latter are ritually endorsed by the Assembly.
Copyright © 2003 Columbus Publishing Ltd.
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