01 May 2002
UN, Iraq Begin New Round of Talks on Weapons Inspections
(Annan wants to focus on return of inspectors) (400)
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- The United Nations and Iraq began a second round of
talks on the resumption of weapons inspections with a short one-on-one
meeting between Secretary General Kofi Annan and Iraqi Foreign
Minister Naji Sabri, the United Nations said May 1.
The talks are scheduled to take place at UN headquarters from May 1 to
May 3. On May 2 Annan is scheduled to be in Washington for a meeting
of the so-called diplomatic Quartet (U.S., Russia, European Union and
the UN) working to renew peace talks between Israel and the
Palestinian Authority, but the UN said that the UN-Iraq talks will
continue at the expert level in the secretary general's absence.
"We are going to be discussing the implementation of Security Council
resolutions and we will discuss the return of the inspectors," Annan
told journalists on his way into UN headquarters May 1.
"But obviously there must be something on the minds of the Iraqis that
they would also want to put on the table," the secretary general said.
"I would hope that we can spend a considerable amount of time on the
return of the inspectors."
"The [Security] council members are hoping that the talks will lead to
the return of the inspectors and that the talks will be successful,"
he said.
"I have lots of encouragement from the council," Annan added.
The UN and Iraqi delegations held two sessions on May 1. After the
expert level meetings on May 2, Annan, Sabri, and their respective
delegations will resume their talks on the morning of May 3, the UN
said.
Included in the UN delegation are Hans Blix, head of the UN
Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), and
Mohammed El-Baradei, director general of the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA).
UN spokesman Fred Eckhard said that the UN will not comment on the
talks until the sessions end.
The round of talks between the Iraqi foreign minister and the
secretary general held in early March were the first in three years on
the return of the weapons inspectors. Since 1998 Iraq has refused to
cooperate with the UN on any further weapons inspections or the
destruction of chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons and their
programs.
(The Washington File is a product of the Office of International
Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site:
http://usinfo.state.gov)
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