BAGHDAD BARGAINING

Iraq trade minister Mohammed Mehdi Saleh today implied that the fates oftwo Americans being detainedin Baghdad will be linked to the lifting of U.N. sanctions against Iraq. Saleh told reporters that the Americans, who were arrested after they crossed the border from Kuwait, are "safe" and "well-treated." Then he criticized the U.N. for maintaining a trade embargo that was imposed on Iraq when its army invaded Kuwait in 1990. Saleh said Iraq has not decided whether to try David Daliberti, 41, of Jacksonville, Fla., and Bill Barloon, 39, a New Hampton, Iowa native, for illegally crossing the border. The crime is punishable by up to 20 years behind bars. "We have laws in Iraq, as there are laws in the United States," Saleh said.