most of them do
Most? Only most? You know of one that doesn't?
but believe they were making a sincere effort to move away from that area
Hmmmm. Then my question is "Why did they make such a sincere effort to avoid and then hinder inspection?"
Because they did. They appeared to be doing their best to hinder inspections, and only agreed to their resumption because a gun was put to their head.
Something was going on. They certainly didn't behave as though they had nothing to hide.
Remember this?
news.bbc.co.uk
And these events?
1998 Jan 13-22 - Iraq withdraws cooperation with UN inspectors,
claiming some are British and American spies.
Feb. 23 - Iraq promises UN inspectors unrestricted access.
Oct. 31 - Iraq ends cooperation with UNSCOM.
Nov. 14 - Iraq allows inspections to resume.
Dec. 16 - UN inspection teams are withdrawn, after concluding that
Iraq is not cooperating fully.
Dec. 16-19 - US and Britain launch a bombing campaign "Operation
Desert Fox," to destroy suspected WMD.
Dec. 17 - UN creates the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection
Commission (UNMOVIC) to replace UNSCOM. Iraq rejects the new
body.
2000 August - Baghdad Airport reopened, resulting in a stream of
flights by countries and organizations to campaign against sanctions.
October - Commercial air links reestablished between Iraq and
Russia, Ireland, and the Middle East.
November - Iraq rejects new weapons-inspections proposals.
2001 Free-trade zone agreements set up with neighboring countries.
Rail link with Turkey reopened in May.
February - Britain and US planes launch raids to try and disable
Iraq's air defense network.
2002 Jan. 30 - President Bush says Iraq is part of an "axis of evil"
during his State of the Union address.
May - UN overhauls the prohibited-goods list, creating "smart
sanctions" which focus on military and dual-use equipment.
Aug. 2 - In a letter to the UN secretary-general, Iraq invites Hans Blix
to Iraq for talks on remaining disarmament issues.
Sept. 12 - President Bush, addressing the UN General Assembly,
challenges the UN to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of
Iraq - or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations
act.
Sept. 16 - Iraq says it will allow international weapons inspectors to
return "without conditions."
Sept. 30 - UN and Iraq discuss terms for weapons inspections. But
talks leave eight presidential compounds off limits, and US seeks
authorization for a use of force if Iraq fails to comply with inspections.
Oct. 10 - Congress adopts joint resolution authorizing use of force
against Iraq.
Oct. 16 - Iraq renews offer to UN weapons inspectors after
"referendum" gives Saddam Hussein another seven-year term as
president with 100 percent of the vote.
Nov. 8 - UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1441,
which outlines an enhanced inspection regime for Iraq's disarmament
to be conducted by the IAEA.
Nov. 18 - UN weapons inspectors return to Baghdad.
Dec. 7 - Iraq provides UN weapons inspectors with 12,000 pages of
information comprising a "complete declaration" of the regime's
chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs. Iraq states in
the declaration that there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Dec. 19 - UNMOVIC Chairman Hans Blix tells UNSC members that
the declaration "is essentially a reorganized version" of information
Iraq provided UNSCOM in 1997.
2003 Jan. 12 - The Turkish government gives US military planners
permission to examine ports and airstrips to see what upgrades are
needed for a war against Iraq.
Jan. 16 - In their first significant discovery, UN weapons inspectors
find 12 warheads designed to carry chemical weapons. The
inspectors suggest the warheads were not accounted for in Iraq's
12,000-page report.
Jan. 16 - Weapons-inspections chiefs report to the Security Council
that, while Iraq has provided access to facilities, concerns remain
regarding undeclared material, inability to interview Iraqi scientists,
inability to deploy aerial surveillance during inspections, and
harassment of inspectors.
Jan. 28 - Bush says Saddam Hussein "is not disarming. To the
contrary, he is deceiving," during his State of the Union address to
Congress. "He has shown utter contempt for the United Nations and
the opinion of the world," Bush says.
Feb 5 - Colin Powell uses satellite photos and audiotapes of
intercepts in a bid to win over international opinion during a UN
security council presentation.
Mar. 1 - UNMOVIC orders Iraq to destroy all its illegally imported Al
Samoud 2 missiles and 380 rocket engines.
Mar. 1 -The Turkish parliament denies US military forces access to
bases in that country.
Mar. 5 - France, Germany, and Russia release a joint declaration
stating they will "not allow" a resolution authorizing military action to
pass the UN Security Council.
Mar. 7 - The US, Britain, and Spain introduce a revised UN resolution
that gives Iraq a Mar. 17 deadline to rid itself of WMD.
Mar. 16 - The leaders of the US, Britain, Spain, and Portugal meet
on the Azores, issuing a one-day deadline for diplomacy. They warn
war could start immediately
Mar. 17 - The US and Britain withdraw their draft Security Council
resolution and advise weapons inspectors to evacuate Iraq. During a
televised address, President Bush issues an ultimatum to Saddam
Hussein to leave Iraq within 48 hours during a televised address
Sources: US State Department, GlobalSecurity.org, The Guardian,
and the BBC
csmonitor.com |
