ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:97061104.NNE
DATE:06/11/97
TITLE:11-06-97 UNSCOM COMPLAINS ABOUT IRAQI ACTIONS
TEXT:
(Iraq endangered U.N. personnel, Ekeus says) (670)
By Judy Aita
USIA United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- The U.N. Special Commission overseeing the
destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM) appealed to the Security Council
June 11 for backing in its efforts to get Iraq to stop threatening
weapons inspection flights.
UNSCOM officials briefed the council privately on a series of
incidents in which Iraqi officials took actions that endangered the
U.N.'s Chilean helicopter and crew. UNSCOM Chairman Rolf Ekeus
notified the council earlier in the week of the series of problems
that UNSCOM has had in operating helicopters in Iraq since March.
UNSCOM officials have been unable to resolve the problems with
Baghdad.
In a letter to the council, Ekeus talked of manhandling of U.N.
inspectors and photographers on board a helicopter, grabbing the
co-pilot's controls, threats to shut off the helicopter's fuel pump,
and one Iraqi liaison saying "formally that he would do whatever he
could to stop the aircraft from flying."
"All these incidents appeared to have been motivated by a
determination on the Iraqi side not to permit the commission to
operate its aircraft in the neighborhood of areas which Iraq
considered to be 'sensitive' or 'diplomatic' sites despite the fact
that those sites were under ground inspection where access was
permitted," Ekeus said in the letter.
"In each case it was only the professional and quick response of the
commission's pilots which prevented the occurrence of tragic
accidents," Ekeus said.
Charles Dueffer, deputy chairman of UNSCOM, told journalists outside
the council chambers that "in the past few days there have been four
serious incidents in which the lives of the crews of the commission's
helicopters and the aircraft themselves were endangered through the
actions of the Iraqi air personnel on board the aircraft or through
the maneuvers of the accompanying Iraqi helicopter."
Dueffer said that "there were cases where Iraqi people on board the
helicopters tried to seize control of the helicopters; they tried to
block photography conducted by UNSCOM staff on helicopters. In another
instance, an Iraqi helicopter blocked the physical progress of the
U.N. helicopter by flying dangerously close to it."
UNSCOM has had other problems in March and earlier in June and raised
the issue with Baghdad but "the pattern of behavior has continued," he
said.
"In fact the Iraqi (personnel on the) helicopter said they were under
orders," Dueffer said. "It was clear to us that the Government of Iraq
had not changed its instructions with respect to the operations."
Thus, UNSCOM turned to the council for support.
The helicopters were flying in support of inspections taking place on
the ground, Dueffer pointed out. The purpose of the flights is to
ensure that when inspections take place on the ground Iraqi personnel
are not moving prohibited material outside the facilities. It is
important that when U.N. inspectors arrive that no materials, trucks,
people leave that site.
"These helicopters are an integral part of our ability to monitor in
Iraq and to assure they are not removing prohibited items from the
sites," he said. "As it turns out there were indications that the
Iraqis were removing things from these locations" as UNSCOM inspectors
were arriving at the site.
Dueffer emphasized that UNSCOM tries "to balance the legitimate
concerns for the national sovereignty, security, and dignity of Iraq
with our obligations given to us by the Security Council to assure
that Iraq is not conducting or hiding items or activities" related to
the banned chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and ballistic
missiles.
"We have to fly over sensitive sites," he said. "If Iraq is going to
conduct a prohibited activity, naturally the site is going to be
sensitive. If we eliminate from our purview all those areas which Iraq
declares to be presidential or sensitive, there are going to be large
parts of Iraq that we are not able to inspect. This is not logical."
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