Dahouk, Iraq Press, Jan. 30 - There has been a drastic decline in the volume of border trade between Iraq and Turkey, particularly in the number of Trucks crossing the border point of Khabur.

Prior to Iraq's decision to limit the trade following the September 11 attacks on the Untied States, more than 500 trucks crossed into the country daily, taking food and supplies into Iraq and returning with diesel fuel.

Currently the number has decreased to about 80 vehicles per day. Even these do not carry their full load of Iraqi crude and products on return home.

Thousands of trucks are said to be waiting on the Turkish side but the amount of diesel available, not exceeding one million liters per day, does not encourage the truckers to cross.

The Turks say most of their fleet of nearly 3,000 trucks remains idle. Iraq says it does not have enough quantities of fuel to offer the truckers in return for their goods.

The drop in the trade will definitely have an adverse impact ont the battered economy of the semi-independent Kurdish enclave. The Kurds rely heavily on the transit fees they impose on vehicles crossing their territory to pay their civil servants.

Though technically violating U.N. trade sanctions, thousands of people on both sides of the border rely on the trade for a living.

Iraq was Turkey's main trade partner before the embargo the United Nations imposed on Baghdad for invading Kuwait in 1990.

Turkish officials have repeatedly complained about the continuing trade sanctions on Iraq, saying they have cost the economy 35-40 billion dollars so far.