Iraqi government slams UN report on casualties

BAGHDAD, Jan 18 (Reuters) The Iraqi government today rejected as ''superficial'' and ''unprofessional'' a United Nations report this week that said 34,000 civilians were killed in Iraq last year but it did not directly reject the figure itself.

Spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh also criticised a UN call for protection for homosexuals, who say they are targeted by Islamic militants. He said the report ''does not observe Iraqi traditions by asking the Iraqi government to give freedoms to homosexuals''.

Dabbagh told a news conference that the government, which branded as exaggerated a previous, similar UN estimate for civilian casualties, was compiling its own statistics but hindered by a lack of security in gathering data.

He declined to comment on the accuracy of the UN figure, which was contained in a bimonthly report that also urged the government to do more to curb violence by its own forces. But he said: ''They were not committed to professionalism and neutrality ... The report was superficial on some important points.'' Apparently referring to individual incidents of violence and human rights abuses collated in the 30-page bimonthly report on Iraq, Dabbagh said: ''This report gets its information sometimes from unknown and secondary sources.'' Among groups in Iraq whose difficulties the United Nations highlighted were Palestinian refugees, women, Christians, professions such as academics, journalists athletes, lawyers, artists and barbers, as well as homosexuals.

Though not illegal, homosexuality is ''not condoned'' in Iraqi society, the United Nations said, adding that violence against homosexuals had increased in the past year amid general anarchy.

REUTERS SHB VV1942