ACCESSION NUMBER:00000
FILE ID:97112004.NNE
DATE:11/20/97
TITLE:20-11-97 UNSCOM TO RESUME WORK IN IRAQ
TEXT:
(Security Council approves inspectors' return) (270)
By Judy Aita
USIA United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- After reviewing a letter from Iraq on resuming
weapons inspections, the Security Council November 20 gave the Special
Commission overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM) the
go-ahead to return to Baghdad.
Security Council President Huasun Qin of China told journalists after
the council's private meeting that "in view of the letter addressed to
the president by the foreign minister of Iraq and the statement of the
five permanent members, the Security Council endorses the immediate
resumption of UNSCOM and IAEA of their activities in Iraq so as to
carry out their mandate under the council's resolutions."
Qin said that the council is also "ready to consider any
recommendations by the special emergency session of the UNSCOM board
which is meeting on November 21.
UNSCOM chairman Richard Butler said that the more than 70 weapons
experts will return to Iraq from Bahrain on November 21 and begin
inspections on November 22.
"I'm satisfied by the decision of the Government of Iraq. We will go
back now and get back to work and I honestly hope that our work will
follow a normal pattern and be marked by cooperation and progress in
disarmament," Butler said.
Butler said that the council encouraged him to take up with Iraqi
officials a work program he proposed in late October, before Iraq
decided to expel the American UNSCOM weapons inspectors. The chairman
said that he and senior members of UNSCOM will visit Baghdad "at a
relatively early date."
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