Don't even attempt to argue that France, Germany, and Russia have been "good world citizens"..
Here they go again (the US and the UK)
US Unhappy About El-Baradei Rushing to Libya
VIENNA, 4 January 2004 — US Secretary of State Colin Powell has called the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency in a bid to soothe tensions between Washington and the UN agency over Libya, diplomats said here yesterday.
“Secretary Powell has called (IAEA chief Mohamed) El-Baradei. They have spoken,” a Western diplomat said.
“Everyone is making an effort to be more civil. It is in everybody’s interest to ratchet the rhetoric down a notch,” he said.
Another source said the conversation between El-Baradei and Powell, which took place this week, was “a constructive discussion with regard to El-Baradei’s trip” to Libya. “They were trying to make sure they understand each other’s positions.”
Tension has arisen between Washington and El-Baradei since IAEA staff began inspecting Libyan nuclear sites last weekend, just eight days after Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi renounced weapons of mass destruction.
El-Baradei, who traveled to Tripoli and met with Qaddafi, declared his satisfaction that Libya was cooperating with the UN atomic watchdog and allowing in-depth searches of sites.
But some senior US officials have accused the IAEA of rushing into Libya, and suggested the United States and Britain do not want to entrust the task of verifying Libyan disarmament to the IAEA alone.
The New York Times on Friday quoted an official as saying the IAEA chief’s visit was “badly advised” and that El-Baradei “has (only) got a minuscule percentage of the knowledge” about the range of Libya’s illicit weapons programs.
John Bolton, the top US diplomat for arms control, began meeting with British counterparts on Friday to discuss ways to ensure that Libya keeps its pledge to abandon any quest for chemical, biological and nuclear arms.
A Vienna-based diplomat confirmed that the United States and Britain wanted to remain involved in Libya as Qaddafi’s surprise decision was the fruit of months of talks with London and Washington.
“The US and Britain will want an exceptionally close look at what happens,” he said.
A UN source said yesterday that the IAEA and Washington had to decide how verification would proceed as the IAEA dealt only with nuclear matters and did not investigate biological and chemical weapons.
The spat between Washington and the IAEA carries echoes of earlier clashes on Iran and Iraq.
El-Baradei contradicted US claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of mass destruction and that there was proof that Tehran was trying to acquire nuclear arms.
arabnews.com |
