ACCESSION
ACCESSION NUMBER:289950 FILE ID:POL504 DATE:06/18/93 TITLE:U.N. DEMANDS IRAQ DESTROY CHEMICAL WEAPONS EQUIPMENT (06/18/93) TEXT:*93061804.POL U.N. DEMANDS IRAQ DESTROY CHEMICAL WEAPONS EQUIPMENT (Refusal is "unacceptable breach" of cease-fire) (550) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent 1nited Nations -- The U.N. Security Council told Iraq June 18 that it must accept U.N. monitoring devices at rocket test sites and send its chemical weapons equipment to destruction sites. The council declared that Iraq's refusal to cooperate with the U.N. on the weapons issues "constitutes a material and unacceptable breach" of the gulf war cease-fire terms and it warned of "serious consequences" if Baghdad does not comply. Ambassador Rolf Ekeus, chairman of the U.N. Special Commission overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM), informed the council that Baghdad has refused to allow UNSCOM to install remote control cameras to monitor rocket test stands at two sites. Nor will Iraq release to UNSCOM the chemicals and equipment used to make mustard and nerve gas. Under the cease-fire resolution, Iraq is barred from possessing ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 kilometers. UNSCOM intended to install highly sophisticated cameras at the two missile test sites located near Baghdad and link them by land lines to its operations room; the sites are used to test-fire rockets on stands without actually launching them. Ekeus later told journalists that Iraq's actions are "very serious" because they challenge the Council's authority as well as its resolutions to insure "that Iraq does not acquire these prohibited weapons again." He said that Iraqi objections to UNSCOM apparently are based on political grounds, which Ekeus concedes is "a major problem" for the future monitoring of Iraq's weapons capabilities. The issue of Iraq's chemical weapons production is "of highest principal importance," Ekeus noted, especially so since "the rest of the world is moving toward the destruction of its own (chemical weapons) capabilities." In a statement read by Council President Juan Yanez-Barnuevo of Spain, the council reminded Iraq that what it said in January still applies. It also warned Baghdad "of the serious consequences of material breaches" of council resolutions. The major stand-off occurred in January when Iraq tried to prevent UNSCOM inspectors from using U.N. aircraft to enter Iraqi airspace. Around the same time the United States, Britain, and France launched air strikes against suspected Iraqi anti-aircraft missile sites in no-fly zones. "The council reminds the government of Iraq of its obligations under Security Council resolutions and its undertakings to provide for the safety of inspection personnel and equipment. The council demands that the government of Iraq immediately comply with its obligations under resolutions 687, 707 and 715 and cease its attempts to restrict the commission's inspection rights and operational capabilities," the statement said. Ekeus said he thinks that Iraq eventually will grasp that "there is no way out but to comply" with the council's demand. "Iraq has looked for a confrontation here," the UNSCOM chairman said. "We regret this has taken time; that we were forced to go to Security Council." Technical talks between UNSCOM and Iraq on these issues were scheduled to begin in the next few weeks, but Ekeus said it is clear "that it will not be possible to carry out any serious discussion on any issue if the challenge to the council" remains outstanding. NNNN .
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