-Caveat Lector- http://www.jihadunspun.net/newsarchive/article_internal.php?article=27379&list=/newsarchive/index.php&;
Britain And US Fail To Win Backing Over Iraq Oct 01, 2002 By Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor and Robin Shepherd in Moscow The United Nations and Iraqi officials will resume negotiations today on the return of weapons inspectors to Baghdad, with the fate of the talks clouded by open divisions within the UN Security Council on the need for a tough new resolution against President Saddam Hussein. After a weekend of intense but largely fruitless lobbying by the United States and Britain to win backing from China, France and Russia for a new ultimatum against Iraq, Hans Blix, the UN's chief weapons inspector, will meet a high-ranking Iraqi delegation in Vienna this morning. UN officials said yesterday that the two-day talks would focus on the technical details of the return of scores on inspectors, who were withdrawn in 1998. In particular the UN needs to arrange offices, transport, communications, accommodation, landing sites for aircraft and to open new offices in the regional capitals Basra and Mosul. The talks were made possible when Iraq backed down after four years of stalling and agreed to allow the inspectors to resume their hunt for suspected chemical, biological, nuclear and ballistic weapons programmes. Mr Blix, executive chairman of the UN Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission (Unmovic), will be joined by Jacques Baute, his opposite number at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), for negotiations with General Amir al-Saadi, an Iraqi presidential adviser, Hassam Muhammad Amin, the head of Iraq's monitoring directorate, and Saeed Hassan, an Iraqi diplomat. The UN wants to have its teams on the ground in Baghdad in two weeks' time, but there were grave doubts yesterday whether the inspectors would be able to return until the Security Council can agree on the wording of a new UN resolution, which gives Iraq one month to comply to strict new conditions. It is possible that even if there is a agreement on the technical details of the inspectors' return to Baghdad, another round of talks may be required to establish the rules under which they will work. The US draft resolution requires Iraq to reveal all its banned weapons of mass destruction within seven days. It would then have 23 days to co-operate fully with weapons inspectors, who would be protected on the ground by an armed UN security force. The new inspection terms would also override previous agreements between the UN and Iraq, which secured special restrictions on searching eight presidential palace compounds, which cover about 12 square miles. Iraq will try to exploit the differences among UN power-brokers by promising Mr Blix co-operation with weapons inspectors that falls short of American and British demands. Already Iraq has dismissed the terms of the new resolution as giving Washington an excuse to go to war. "The position on the new inspectors has been decided and any new measure intended to harm Iraq is unacceptable," Taha Yassin Ramadan, the Iraqi Vice-President, said. His objections seemed to be shared in Paris, Moscow and Beijing, where American and British envoys tried but failed to win the backing of their fellow permanent members of the Security Council, who have veto rights in the chamber. France is pressing for two resolutions, one that would set out the mission of the inspectors and a second that would authorise the use of force only if Baghdad did not comply. The Kremlin does not want any more resolutions but simply the return of inspectors under existing arrangements. Yesterday Tony Blair said that a compromise was possible. Britain was not opposed to the idea of two resolutions and the wording of the existing draft could be toned down. "The most important thing is to get a very clear determination from the United Nations Security Council," Mr Blair said. "We must make it absolutely clear that Saddam and the Iraqi regime either agree to disarm themselves of these weapons they should never have had in the first place or action will follow." Hours before he spoke American and British warplanes attacked radar targets at Basra airport for the second time in five days. US congressmen visiting Baghdad said that they had been told by Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister, that Saddam was prepared to let in weapons inspectors "no questions asked". <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. 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