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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: paul_philp who wrote (73826)	2/14/2003 11:31:42 AM
From: Ilaine	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 281500

It appears to have become an article of faith that eventually the inspection process will lead to something of value if only it is allowed to continue indefinitely. Inspections, in and of themselves, appear to be the goal, not disarmament. I do fault the US for continuing to say "we know they have WMD" but not doing more. After hearing Powell say that the new bin Laden tape would show that Al Qaeda and Iraq were in cahoots, but not reading anything that supported that assertion, I am starting to get a bit cynical, I admit. My take is that bin Laden, as always, believes himself to be the God-appointed leader of devout Muslims anywhere and everywhere, which includes Iraq. In light of the way that English-speaking peoples stick together when the chips are down, I can't fault Muslims for sticking with their own.

To: paul_philp who wrote (73826)	2/14/2003 12:35:25 PM
From: Win Smith	Respond to of 281500

No Banned Arms Found in Iraq, but Missile Exceeds U.N. Limits nytimes.com [ I don't quite grok the "Wow". The NYT home page headline for this story was " Blix Report on Iraqi Compliance Is Mixed ", which seems about right. Why Blix specifically and the UN in general are supposed to be full partners in the war marketing campaign is unclear ] UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 14 - Hans Blix, the United Nations' chief weapons inspector, told the Security Council today that no weapons of mass destruction had been found in Iraq, but he confirmed that an Iraqi missile called Al Samoud 2 exceeded its 93-mile range. Only a small number of empty chemical munitions, ``which should have been declared and destroyed,'' had been discovered, he said. But he added: ``Another matter, and one of great significance, is that many proscribed weapons and items are not accounted for. One must not jump to the conclusion that they exist. However, that possibility is also not excluded.'' In a report that is considered crucial in determining whether the Security Council gives its support to the United States and Britain, which are urging military action against Baghdad, Mr. Blix said inspectors were free to visit any site of their choosing, including presidential palaces and private homes. If banned materials exist, he said, Iraq should turn them over for destruction. He said it was not the job of the inspectors to find the evidence of banned material, but Iraq's job to turn it over. Mr. Blix also referred to one of the points brought up in a laundry list of accusations against Baghdad last week at the Council by Secretary of State Colin L. Powell. Mr. Powell used satellite photographs that he said showed Iraq had moved and evacuated materials from about 30 chemical weapons and other munition before weapons inspectors arrived. ``The reported movement of munitions at the site could just as easily have been a routine activity'' as one designed to hide banned materials before inspections. Mr. Blix declared. ``In no case have we seen convincing evidence that the Iraqi side knew in advance that the inspectors were coming,'' Mr. Blix asserted. Later the Council was told by the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei: ``We have to date found no evidence of ongoing prohibited nuclear or nuclear-related activities in Iraq,'' ``However,'' he added, ``a number of issues are still under investigation.'' . . . [ Full text of Blix report at nytimes.com ]