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To: long-gone who wrote (15318)	8/4/1998 9:26:00 PM
From: goldsnow	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 116762

Fears of new Iraqi stand-off as arms inspector departs By Christopher Lockwood, Diplomatic Editor THE chief United Nations arms inspector yesterday cut short a visit to Baghdad and flew back to report to the Security Council in New York, raising fears that Saddam Hussein may be preparing to provoke another confrontation with the West. Members of the Unscom inspectorate leave Baghdad yesterday Richard Butler, the Australian diplomat who heads the UN Special Commission (Unscom) which is trying to eliminate Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, said he had failed to secure agreement on an accelerated programme of inspections which might allow sanctions on Iraq to be lifted in the near future. Under the terms of UN Security Council Resolution 678, the embargo on Iraq's oil and other exports can be lifted only once Unscom has certified that Saddam no longer possesses any of the three kinds of weapons of mass destruction. But Iraq maintains that the inspection regime is being abused by the Americans and by Britain to maintain the embargo indefinitely. Last month, Saddam predicted that the formal UN sanctions would "never" be lifted. He has promised unspecified "action" in protest at this. Mr Butler's trip to Baghdad had been aimed at calming this dangerous situation. He carried proposals for an intensive burst of inspections that would, he said yesterday, have allowed the dossiers on nuclear and chemical weapons to be closed within four or five weeks. However, the UN team is far from convinced that it has unravelled Iraq's biological weapons programme, and until this third dossier is closed too, the embargo cannot be lifted. Iraq claims it has already complied fully with UN resolutions, and therefore rejected the new accelerated inspection regime. The existing inspection regime would seem to be unaffected, at least for now. At the same time, Tariq Aziz, Iraq's deputy Prime Minister, demanded that Mr Butler must certify immediately that the work of Unscom was complete. This he refused to do. UN officials were playing down the latest problem. The Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, called it "a hiccup". But there were some fears yesterday that Iraq's rejection of the accelerated programme might be coupled, now or in the near future, with a refusal to allow the regular inspections. That could lead to another stand-off with the United States of the sort that almost led to war in February, and before that last November. Saddam has a record of provoking such crises at regular intervals, in an attempt to demonstrate that the Security Council is divided over policy towards Iraq. In fact, the February crisis demonstrated the opposite. After initial hesitation, both Russia and France indicated that they would not oppose US air strikes if Saddam did not back down. telegraph.co.uk

To: long-gone who wrote (15318)	8/4/1998 9:30:00 PM
From: goldsnow	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 116762

200 swept away in Yangtze flood surge By Damien McElroy in Beijing Ruptured dyke kills hundreds in flood-ravaged Yangtze region [4 Aug '98] Weather offers no hope for flood-stricken Yangtze residents [4 Aug '98] - Inside China Today Hundreds killed as flood dykes collapse in China [4 Aug '98] - CNN Levees along Yangtze collapse; death toll reported massive [4 Aug '98] ABOUT 200 soldiers and civilian volunteers working to protect a Yangtze dyke were feared drowned yesterday when the swollen river broke through and flooded countryside in Hubei province, central China. A female flood protection group reinforces a dyke along the flooded shores of Dongting Lake in Yueyang Hong Kong newspapers reported that a 40 sq mile area had been flooded and 40,000 people were stranded in Jiayu county. Earlier reports said that 11 dykes in Hubei had been blown up to create a safety valve and prevent major loss of life downstream in Wuhan city. Two months of heavy rain have filled the Yangtze to record levels. At least 2,500 people have died and millions forced to leave their homes. A fresh alert has been sounded as the third flood crest of the summer moves downstream. The official Xinhua news agency reported that 1,800 points along the river were vulnerable to "major" breaches. An official of the State Flood Control and Drought Relief Headquarters said to Xinhua, the Chinese news agency: "The flood control situation along the Yangtze remains extremely serious and will remain so for the foreseeable future."