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Politics : Attack Iraq? -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (4486)	3/11/2003 12:23:00 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 8683

Posted 3/10/2003 8:48 PM Updated 3/10/2003 9:08 PM U.S. says inspectors' report reinforces its position By John Diamond and Bill Nichols, USA TODAY URL:http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2003-03-10-evidence-usat_x.htm WASHINGTON — Iraq has secretly developed large, pilotless aircraft and has at least 100 special cluster bombs, all of which could be used for chemical or biological attacks, United Nations weapons inspectors have found. Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix shrugged off U.S. complaints that he hasn't been tough enough. By Shawn Baldwin, AP The U.N. released a 173-page report Monday that details extensive activity by Iraq to develop the means to deliver chemical and biological agents. The report specifically talks about the drone aircraft and says they might be capable of delivering banned weapons. U.S. officials said inspectors will soon make additional disclosures about the Iraqi cluster bombs. Security Council positions The resolution before the U.N. Security Council currently states that Iraq must demonstrate "full, unconditional, immediate and active cooperation with its disarmament obligations" by March 17. It needs nine votes on the 15-member council to pass, with no vote against the resolution by any of the five permanent members — the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China. Where countries stood Monday on the current resolution: Support (4) Britain Bulgaria Spain United States Oppose (5) China France Germany Russia Syria Uncertain (6) Angola Cameroon Chile Guinea Mexico Pakistan (but there are signs it might abstain) Source: USA TODAY research Though chief weapons inspector Hans Blix presented the report to the U.N. Security Council on Friday, the White House seized on its public release Monday in hopes of swaying world opinion as it presses the Security Council to support a resolution that would open the way for war on Iraq. Administration officials said privately that they were angry with Blix for not highlighting the inspectors' most incriminating findings in his presentation to Security Council. After a closed-door Security Council meeting Monday, Blix shrugged off U.S. complaints that he hasn't been tough enough. "Everyone tries to squeeze us to get as much mileage out of us as they can," he said with a smile. The skirmish over evidence of Iraqi weapons is key to the decision on how the U.N. Security Council should handle Iraq. For France and other opponents of war, the many unanswered questions in Blix's report make the case for giving inspections more time. For the Bush administration, the issues raised by the report prove that Iraq is intent on developing banned weapons and must be stopped, by force if necessary. "This information on drones ... should be of concern to everyone," Secretary of State Colin Powell said Monday. "Iraq continues to demonstrate that it has not really changed its strategic intent, which is the case we've been making all along." Lately, U.N. inspectors have challenged the credibility of some of the assertions made by U.S. and British diplomats. For example, they dismissed British claims that Iraq was seeking uranium from Niger as being based on forged documents. Britain says it stands by its assertion and cites multiple intelligence sources. Inspectors have also disputed a U.S. charge that aluminum tubes Iraq tried to buy were for nuclear weapons development, not rocket bodies, as Iraq claimed. Full of detail on Iraqi weapons development over the past two decades, the newly released report by the U.N. inspection team raises numerous questions about Baghdad's claims that it has destroyed all its chemical and biological agents and the rockets and bombs to deliver them. The report also notes that Iraq has done extensive work since the 1991 Gulf War to improve its ability to deliver banned weapons. The report describes Iraqi efforts over the past several years to perfect spray devices, aerial tanks, artillery shells and short-range rockets that could be fitted with chemical or biological warheads, as well as unmanned aerial vehicles that could be fitted with tanks and sprayers. Iraq has never declared to U.N. inspectors its work on drone aircraft. The U.N. report says it will take further investigation to determine how Iraq intends to use the drones. The U.N. report "clearly indicates major development has been going on" on Iraqi weapons, said Anthony Cordesman, an expert on Iraq with the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "The lethality of chemical and biological weapons is heavily dependent on how they're delivered." Contributing: Nichols reported from the U.N.