Military

DATE=05/03/02

TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT

TITLE=IRAQ/U-N ARMS (L-O)

NUMBER=2-289402

BYLINE=ELAINE JOHANSON

DATELINE=UNITED NATIONS

CONTENT=

VOICED AT:

INTRO: Three days of talks between Iraq and the United Nations ended Friday with no sign of a breakthrough on getting weapons inspectors back into Baghdad. But as V-O-A correspondent Elaine Johanson reports from New York, the atmosphere of the discussions seems to have been positive:

TEXT: Weapons inspectors may not be going back to Baghdad, at least for the moment. But the talks held up, and another round of talks is being planned. This would be the third round this year.

Iraq's foreign minister, Naji Sabri, said he thought the discussions went well:

///SABRI ACT///

The debate was useful, frank and focused and the Iraqi delegation included several highly qualified technical people, and they went through lots of discussions with the U-N delegation. We continued our debate in the same spirit of cooperation, the same positive spirit that characterized our meeting last time in March.

///END ACT///

U-N officials were encouraged by the composition of the Iraqi delegation, which included several high-level weapons experts.

While Secretary-General Kofi Annan says his main objective for the talks was the resumption of weapons inspections, the Iraqis came to New York with a broader agenda. The foreign minister said everything that touches upon Iraq's sovereignty would be on the table. That includes the possibility of an American invasion of Iraq, an option the Bush Administration is said to be considering, and U-N sanctions imposed after Iraq invaded Kuwait in 1990. The lifting of sanctions is contingent on Iraq's cooperation on the weapons issue.

Arms inspectors first went to Iraq after the Gulf War in 1991, to ensure Iraq was getting rid of its most dangerous weapons and dismantling its weapons programs. The inspectors have been barred from Iraq since late 1998. (Signed)

NEB/NY/EJ/SAB