Iraq announced on Thursday it was banning imports of poultry and poultry products from 20 countries as bird flu fears rose after cases were confirmed in neighbouring Turkey.

"We confirm the banning of poultry imports, live or slaughtered," the cabinet said in a statement. Countries covered by Iraq''s import ban are Pakistan, South Korea, Taiwan, China, Russia, Turkey, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Greece, Ukraine, Romania, Myanmar, Croatia, Cambodia, Laos, The Philippines, Kazakhistan, Malaysia and Mongolia.

Copyright Reuters, 2005