IRAQ-SOUTH-WOMEN

Iraqi women collect salt from a lake in the Shuaiba area, 25 kms from the southern Iraqi port city of Basra 15 September 2003. UN Secretary General Kofi Annan played down the division in the Security Council following weekend talks in Geneva over how to handle the political future of Iraq. There has also been sharp debate over what the UN's role would be after the United Nations appealed to the world body for help in bringing order to Iraq. AFP PHOTO/Ahmad AL-RUBAYE