MANAMA: Iraq's Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshiyar Zebari yesterday expelled our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej's reporter from a Press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa. He gave instructions to Iraq Embassy Plenipotentiary Minister Ahmed Shafeeq Al Agha to bar Abdulla Al Mannai from a round-table Press gathering, on the sidelines of the conference.

He also levelled insults at the newspaper's Editor-in-Chief Anwar Abdulrahman and Deputy Editor for Foreign Affairs Sayyed Zahra.

When asked for reasons for such a hostile attitude, the plenipotentiary minister told AK's reporter: "We refuse to deal with people like you! We don't mean you in person, but Anwar Abdulrahman and Sayyed Zahra".

"Foreign Affairs Minister Hoshiyar Zebari himself wants this message to reach Anwar Abdulrahman", the minister told the reporter, even handing him his business card.

When the reporter was preparing to leave, the minister kissed him, saying: "We don't deal with people like radicals Anwar Abdulrahman and Sayyed Zahra who are both hostile to Iraq".

Abdulla was even denied transport. He had earlier travelled to the Press conference venue in an Iraq Embassy car.

Akhbar Al Khaleej has published many editorials denouncing the invasion of Iraq as a disaster.