The decision follows a recommendation by Iraq's parliament on Monday for a total break in relations with the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) for disarmament unless the two-monthly sanction reviews are restored.

``The Iraqi leadership believes that the national assembly's (parliament) recommendation go in the right direction and reflect the unhappiness of the Iraqi people,'' said a statement from the revolutionary command council, quoted by the official INA news agency.

The sanctions, imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, cannot be lifted until UNSCOM certifies that Baghdad no longer has weapons of mass destruction.

The Security Council decided on September 9 to cancel two-monthly reviews of the sanctions to punish Iraq for its August 5 decision to suspend cooperation with inspectors from theUNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency, but to allow arms monitoring to continue.