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Politics : Ask Michael Burke -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Yogizuna who wrote (98589)	4/16/2003 6:05:38 PM
From: Lazarus_Long	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 132070

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 Dec. 16 - UN inspection teams are withdrawn, after concluding that Iraq is not cooperating fully.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