Germany won't insist on a 2d UN resolution
Julia Preston The New York Times Thursday, January 9, 2003
But it says inspections need more time
UNITED NATIONS, New York Germany will not insist on a second Security Council resolution to authorize war if Iraq fails to disarm through weapons inspections, but it believes the inspections are progressing so far and should be given more time, the German ambassador to the United Nations, Gunter Pleuger, said Wednesday.
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Hewing close to the American position, Pleuger said in an interview that a second round of debate and voting in the council would be "desirable but not necessary" if Iraq commits obvious breaches of past resolutions. He acknowledged that this view differed from that of France, which contends that a second vote is required under the terms of Resolution 1441, the Nov. 8 measure that set up the inspections and warned of "serious consequences" if Iraq did not cooperate.
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Pleuger maneuvered carefully through the diplomatic thicket that Germany faces after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder antagonized the Bush administration by ruling out sending German troops to any military campaign in Iraq. On Jan. 1 Germany took a seat as a nonpermanent, nonveto member of the 15-nation Security Council for a two-year term, just as the council is confronting decisions about whether the inspections are working to eliminate illegal weapons programs in Iraq.
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The ambassador made it clear that Germany would take an independent stance on key issues, balancing pressures from the United States, which is eager to show quickly that President Saddam Hussein is cheating the inspections, and from other members of the council that are more optimistic that the inspections can work to avoid war.
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Germany is now one of four major European nations on the Security Council, along with Britain and France, two permanent members with veto power, and Spain, another nonpermanent nation that just came on board.
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Even Britain, the United States' closest ally on the council, has said it wants a second resolution before going to war. American officials take the view that Resolution 1441 alone can serve as the legal basis to launch a military attack if Iraq commits new violations, and they are wary of becoming entangled in a long and debilitating debate here if the evidence is less than clear-cut.
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On the inspections, Pleuger, echoing the view of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said they seem to be going forward unhindered by Baghdad. He added that Germany was disappointed by gaps in Iraq's declaration in December on its arms programs.
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"Kofi has said there's no reason right now to move from inspections to military action, and right now, in this situation, we feel the same way," Pleuger said.
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However, he said that it could take two more months for the inspections to reach full speed in Iraq. He said that a report that Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief weapons inspectors, will deliver on Jan. 27 would bring the council up to date but not be a decisive moment.
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The inspectors "have said that they need some time to complete the inspections, and therefore, I think, it is highly unlikely that on the 27th we can draw already final conclusions about the work that has been done up to that date," Pleuger said.
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The Bush administration is at odds with most if not all of the other council members on the pace and timing of the inspections. Anxious to have the option of launching an attack in February or March when the weather is still relatively cool in Iraq, Washington has sought to prod the inspectors along and regards the Jan. 27 report by the inspections chiefs as a potential moment of decision.
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Germany is walking a fine line here, seeking to avoid further damage to its relations with Washington, but constrained by Schroeder's fragile political position at home, where his opposition to participating in war in Iraq is part of the glue holding his coalition together. Complicating his task are voices within his coalition, especially in the Green Party, the junior partner in the governing coalition, that adamantly oppose any German acquiescence to military action against Baghdad.
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Pleuger reiterated a flat no to any German troops in Iraq. But he also said that how Germany would vote if there is a second round in the council would "depend on the political situation in which the decision is being taken. And nobody can foresee that now."
< < Back to Start of Article But it says inspections need more time
UNITED NATIONS, New York Germany will not insist on a second Security Council resolution to authorize war if Iraq fails to disarm through weapons inspections, but it believes the inspections are progressing so far and should be given more time, the German ambassador to the United Nations, Gunter Pleuger, said Wednesday.
.
Hewing close to the American position, Pleuger said in an interview that a second round of debate and voting in the council would be "desirable but not necessary" if Iraq commits obvious breaches of past resolutions. He acknowledged that this view differed from that of France, which contends that a second vote is required under the terms of Resolution 1441, the Nov. 8 measure that set up the inspections and warned of "serious consequences" if Iraq did not cooperate.
.
Pleuger maneuvered carefully through the diplomatic thicket that Germany faces after Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder antagonized the Bush administration by ruling out sending German troops to any military campaign in Iraq. On Jan. 1 Germany took a seat as a nonpermanent, nonveto member of the 15-nation Security Council for a two-year term, just as the council is confronting decisions about whether the inspections are working to eliminate illegal weapons programs in Iraq.
.
The ambassador made it clear that Germany would take an independent stance on key issues, balancing pressures from the United States, which is eager to show quickly that President Saddam Hussein is cheating the inspections, and from other members of the council that are more optimistic that the inspections can work to avoid war.
.
Germany is now one of four major European nations on the Security Council, along with Britain and France, two permanent members with veto power, and Spain, another nonpermanent nation that just came on board.
.
Even Britain, the United States' closest ally on the council, has said it wants a second resolution before going to war. American officials take the view that Resolution 1441 alone can serve as the legal basis to launch a military attack if Iraq commits new violations, and they are wary of becoming entangled in a long and debilitating debate here if the evidence is less than clear-cut.
.
On the inspections, Pleuger, echoing the view of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said they seem to be going forward unhindered by Baghdad. He added that Germany was disappointed by gaps in Iraq's declaration in December on its arms programs.
.
"Kofi has said there's no reason right now to move from inspections to military action, and right now, in this situation, we feel the same way," Pleuger said.
.
However, he said that it could take two more months for the inspections to reach full speed in Iraq. He said that a report that Hans Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, the chief weapons inspectors, will deliver on Jan. 27 would bring the council up to date but not be a decisive moment.
.
The inspectors "have said that they need some time to complete the inspections, and therefore, I think, it is highly unlikely that on the 27th we can draw already final conclusions about the work that has been done up to that date," Pleuger said.
.
The Bush administration is at odds with most if not all of the other council members on the pace and timing of the inspections. Anxious to have the option of launching an attack in February or March when the weather is still relatively cool in Iraq, Washington has sought to prod the inspectors along and regards the Jan. 27 report by the inspections chiefs as a potential moment of decision.
.
Germany is walking a fine line here, seeking to avoid further damage to its relations with Washington, but constrained by Schroeder's fragile political position at home, where his opposition to participating in war in Iraq is part of the glue holding his coalition together. Complicating his task are voices within his coalition, especially in the Green Party, the junior partner in the governing coalition, that adamantly oppose any German acquiescence to military action against Baghdad.
.
Pleuger reiterated a flat no to any German troops in Iraq. But he also said that how Germany would vote if there is a second round in the council would "depend on the political situation in which the decision is being taken. And nobody can foresee that now."
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