In English - >>Germany, France Said to Seek U.N. Peacekeepers for Iraq Instead of War
By Tony Czuczka Associated Press Writer
Published: Feb 8, 2003
BERLIN (AP) - Germany and France are working on a broad disarmament plan for Iraq designed to avoid war, including the deployment of U.N. soldiers throughout the country, reconnaissance flights and a tripling of the number of weapons inspectors, a magazine reported Saturday.
The weekly Der Spiegel said the plan would have international peacekeepers "in effect take control of the country for years," declare all of Iraq a no-fly zone and lead to agreements with Iraq's neighbors to crack down on smuggled exports of Iraqi oil as part of strengthened economic sanctions.
The governments in Berlin and Paris - which are opposed to a war on Iraq - have been working on the plan since the start of the year, the report said.
A German government spokesman said Germany and France are "jointly considering specific peaceful alternatives to a military solution" in Iraq. The spokesman, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, refused to comment on details of the report.
The joint plan could be presented to the U.N. Security Council in the form of a resolution, Der Spiegel said, adding that Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder sees a need to move beyond his strict anti-war stand, which has angered the United States.
As part of intensified sanctions against Iraq, Western countries would tighten export control laws, the report said. Reconnaissance flights to aid the inspectors on the ground in their search for weapons would be carried out by French Mirage IV jets.
Der Spiegel said Germany and France are sounding out other critics of the U.S. approach about their plan, including Russia, China and Greece.<<
ap.tbo.com
This is, of course, the coercive inspection regime that was floated as a compromise by various factions in the US *PRIOR* to adoption of UN 1441. And, of course, it was shot down by, if memory serves me, the French, the Germans, the Russians, and the Chinese.
Ho, hum.
Is this "good cop, bad cop," or what?
Looks like it to me. "Look here, Saddam. You see George Bush over there? He's about to go medieval on your ass. Your only salvation is to cooperate with me. Let these nice blue-helmeted UN soldiers in, and no one gets hurt."
Check, mate, game. Will Saddam play? |
