Bush is not ready to take yes for an answer.
Al
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Iraq offers UN total cooperation; US criticises
Annan
BAGHDAD (AFP) - UN weapons chiefs
left Iraq armed with promises of total
cooperation for the resumption of
disarmament inspections, but the United
States hit out at the world body and
returned to war talk.
Hans Blix, head of the arms commission
UNMOVIC, and International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) director Mohamed
ElBaradei flew to a rear base in Cyprus
stressing that Baghdad needed to back up
words with action when inspections restart
next week after a four-year break.
In Larnaca, Blix said they had "good discussions" in Iraq. "We were assured they will
fully implement" UN Security Council resolution 1441, which gives inspectors sweeping
powers.
Blix added that he was confident that "war can be averted."
ElBaradei said he and Blix had impressed on the Iraqis that inspectors want a "an
accurate and complete report" of Iraqi armaments programmes by a December 8
deadline, and "they made it clear they will do everything possible to cooperate with us."
The verbal commitment "has to be translated on the ground."
"All Iraqi officials have committed to provide us full cooperation and full transparency,
and I hope that we will see that next week when we resume our inspections" ElBaradei
said Tuesday night after two days of high-level talks.
However, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld criticized the United Nations and
argued that an increasing number of countries were ready to support possible military
action on Iraq.
He played down a diplomatic rebuke to the White House from UN Secretary General
Kofi Annan who took issue with US claims that Iraqi anti-aircraft fire directed at US and
British warplanes patrolling "no-fly" zones constituted a "material breach" of resolution
1441.
"Let me say I don't think the Security Council will say that this is in contravention of the
resolution," Annan said.
According to the terms of the resolution, which sets new tough conditions for weapons
inspections, a "material breach" could constitute a legitimate reason for war.
US warplanes bombed Iraqi air defenses Sunday and Monday in response to missile and
anti-aircraft fire that the White House said was in "material breach."
"I dont know that he necessarily reflects the UN," Rumsfeld said of Annan. "The center
of gravity is the Security Council."
The zones set up to protect Kurds in the north and Shiites in the south from the Iraqi
regime are not backed by specific UN resolutions.
Rumsfeld said support was growing for Washington if it decided to go to war with Iraq.
"We are getting responses every day," he said. "They fit in various categories. One
category is (those who) like to be helpful and are planning now in the event that force is
used with or without the UN resolution."
A top adviser to President Saddam Hussein, General Amer al-Saadi, said Iraq would
meet a December 8 deadline to issue a report declaring all its weapons programmes --
nuclear, chemical, biological and missiles.
"We do not have any new programs and we will say so with all honesty, and we will
present again the old programs, with additional clarifications," said Saadi, a weapons
expert.
Resolution 1441, adopted November 8, gives Iraq one month to make a complete and
accurate declaration of its programmes.
Blix stressed that the Iraqi government's contention that it no longer had weapons of
mass destruction needed to be documented.
"If the answer of the Iraqi government were to be that there aren't any, then it must be
convincingly shown, by documentation and by evidence," he said.
Blix and ElBaradei met Foreign Minister Naji Sabri, who assured them of Iraq's
readiness to cooperate fully and "refute US allegations that Iraq has been producing
mass destruction weapons in the absence of inspectors", thus leading to a lifting of UN
sanctions.
Blix said most inspections would be on a "no-notice" basis, adding that "inspectors need
to be able to go anywhere, any time, and this is agreed and understood well by the Iraqi
government."
Blix and ElBaradei left behind a team of a dozen people to continue logistical
preparations for the resumption of arms inspections on November 27.
US President George W. Bush, meanwhile, called for NATO's support for possible
military action to disarm Iraq.
In Prague to take part in a NATO summit, Bush said that "if he (Saddam) refuses to
disarm, then we will lead a coalition of the willing and disarm him. And, of course, I hope
our NATO friends come with us."
In Berlin, a senior German official said NATO was drafting a statement underlining the
alliance's support for "complete implementation" of resolution 1441.
The measure would not commit individual NATO states to military enforcement of the
resolution if Baghdad refuses to comply. |
