Pull Out for Fish's Sake, Iraq Asks

Iraq said Sunday that it wants the massive multinational military force to withdraw from the Persian Gulf region immediately because it is concerned about the effects of warships and weapons on the environment.

The official Iraqi News Agency said the country's Council for the Protection and Improvement of the Environment had concluded that the force is a direct threat to the region's plants, animals and marine life.

INA said council Chairman Abdussalam Mohammed Saed sent a message warning of the danger to several international health organizations, including the U.N. environment program.

Dozens of countries deployed warships, military aircraft, tanks and troops to the gulf following Iraq's Aug. 2 invasion of Kuwait.