03 December 1997
UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL BACKS UNSCOM REPORT ON IRAQ
(Richardson says statement shows U.S.-Russian cooperation) (780) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- The U.N. Security Council December 3 formally backed the work of the U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM) overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons, demanding that Baghdad cooperate fully with the U.N. weapons inspectors. Issuing a UNSC presidential statement in open session, the Council ended the latest chapter in its long-running confrontation with Iraqi officials over the implementation of the Gulf War cease-fire requirements that Iraq eliminate all its nuclear, biological, chemical, and ballistic missile weapons programs and the weapons themselves. U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson said that the statement "shows strong Council backing for UNSCOM and for (UNSCOM Chairman Richard) Butler's mission....It also showed U.S.-Russian cooperation since it was a joint text and it was approved unanimously." The Security Council "is fully behind" UNSCOM and Butler, Richardson said. "Right now the Council is united in pushing Iraq to comply with U.N. resolutions, especially 1137," Richardson said. On November 12 the Council unanimously adopted resolution 1137 which imposed travel restrictions on Iraqi officials and military officers. The resolution condemned Iraq's attempts to impose conditions on UNSCOM operations and demanded that it cooperate fully and immediately with the Special Commission. The vote came after Iraq refused to allow Americans working for UNSCOM into inspection sites in late October and threatened to shoot at UNSCOM's U-2 surveillance planes. The stand-off was defused after Russian intervention with Iraq and UNSCOM weapons inspectors, including Americans, returned to Baghdad to resume their work on November 21. In its statement the Council endorsed the conclusions and recommendations of an emergency UNSCOM session held November 21. "The Security Council reiterates its demand that Iraq fulfill all its obligations as set out in all the relevant resolutions, including resolution 1137 (1997) and cooperate fully with UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in implementing their respective mandates," the Council said in its statement read by Council President Fernando Berrocal Soto of Costa Rica. "The Council stresses that the effectiveness and speed with which UNSCOM may accomplish its responsibilities is, above all, determined by the degree to which the Government of Iraq cooperates in disclosing the full extent and disposition of its proscribed programs and in granting UNSCOM unimpeded access to all sites, documents, records, and individuals," the statement said. The emergency meeting of the 20 UNSCOM commissioners ended with the adoption of a report emphasizing that Iraq's cooperation will be the determining factor in when UNSCOM completes its work and the ultimate lifting of sanctions. The commission, which is made up of weapons experts from 20 nations, reviewed the work of its inspectors in Iraq and recommended ways that UNSCOM can improve its work. It called for more flights, including night surveillance flights; documentation of Iraqi efforts to frustrate UNSCOM's work; additional monitoring equipment; more training for weapons inspectors, and training on sanctions reporting for governments trading with Iraq. "The members of the commission emphasize that access -- immediate, unconditional and unrestricted -- is absolutely fundamental to its ability to accomplish any of its tasks....Failure by Iraq to conform to (Security Council) resolutions, and to grant access, has impeded the disarmament process and the conduct of the commission's work in other respects," the November 22 report said. The commissioners reviewed and backed up an Ocotober report of UNSCOM Executive Chairman Richard Butler to the Council which highlighted major problems areas. Biological weapons "is the most serious and persistent area where Iraq has disregarded its obligations to the United Nations," the UNSCOM commissioners said. "The members of the commission note that the paucity of progress is largely attributable to Iraq's denial of the existence of such a program until June 1995." The report also said that four issues remain to be solved on chemical weapons: accounting for special warheads for the Al Hussein missiles, the extent of Iraqi efforts to produce and weaponize the chemical warfare agent VX, the "material balance of chemical munitions" Iraq said it destroyed during the Gulf War and the amount of production equipment. The commissioners suggested that Butler "assess the extent to which the temporary cessation of UNSCOM's operations, caused by Iraqi decisions, has set back its ability to complete its mandate and make this clear in its next report to the Security Council." In its presidential statement December 3 the Council also encouraged "intensified efforts, in line with the conclusions and recommendations of the emergency session of UNSCOM, in order to implement fully the UNSCOM and IAEA mandates in each of their respective disarmament areas."
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