18 December 1997
RICHARDSON CALLS UNSCOM REPORT TO UNSC ON IRAQ "DISCOURAGING"
(Hopes to resolve problem diplomatically through UNSC) (870) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- U.N. Security Council members expressed disappointment December 18 at the report by its Special Commission (UNSCOM) overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons that the government of Sadaam Hussein will not allow U.N. inspectors to examine many sites in Iraq. U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said that the United States hopes to resolve the problem "diplomatically through the (UN) Security Council." UNSCOM Chairman Richard Butler reported to the Council on his December 12-16 meetings with senior Iraqi officials, including Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. Butler said Iraq rejected an offer to work out special arrangements that would "take into account Iraq's legitimate security, sovereignty, and dignity concerns" so that weapons inspectors could visit the so-called presidential sites. Tariq Aziz also refused to give UNSCOM and the Security Council a list or a map of those sites so that inspectors could determine their number and extent, the UNSCOM chairman said. Butler told the Council that Iraq's presidential and sovereign sites are "not clearly defined, except that it was stated that they were areas associated with the presidency and were well known. They include sites, offices and resorts at which the head of state resides and/or works....headquarters of ministers. All had gates and high walls but no further clarification was offered. They would not be allowed to be inspected or overflown under any circumstances," Butler said. Civilian sites could only be inspected if the property owners granted permission and Iraq would be reluctant to ask for that permission because it has no legal authority to do so, he said. Tariq Aziz did, however, agree to improve the arrangements previously worked out with UNSCOM for inspections of "national security" sites, Butler said. The new arrangements "should be tested straight away." According to Butler, UNSCOM will be able to increase the size of its teams beyond the current limit of four. Iraq will take steps to "significantly" reduce the delay in entry to sites, and when sites are being declared sensitive a UNSCOM inspector will be allowed to enter the site to ensure that movement within it was frozen. However, Butler said that Iraq also wanted the U-2 reconnaissance missions flown by the United States for UNSCOM replaced by Iraqi planes or aircraft from other nations and refused to participate in planning a work program for UNSCOM for January and February 1998. Richardson told journalists that Butler's report was "discouraging. We have some steps backward, some retrenchments....We are very concerned about these developments." "On the issue of disclosure of weapons, we have retrenchment," Richardson said. "On the issue of sensitive sites and presidential sites, we have steps backward." He noted that "we now have Iraq officially stating some sites are off limits and that that is their stated policy," Richardson said. He added that the Iraqi position was "unacceptable." Richardson said that the U.S. delegation was beginning to work with other delegations on the draft of an official presidential statement. "We believe that the Security Council resolutions are not being followed and we're going to take steps in the Security Council to deal with this," he said. Richardson also pointed out that the Security Council has passed four resolutions on Iraq in the last few months that have addressed the issue of UNSCOM's full access to all Iraqi sites. "We believe that there's strong support for language along the lines of full disclosure and that's going to be our main objective in the days and hours ahead," the U.S. ambassador said. "We're going step-by-step," Richardson said. "We want to resolve this issue diplomatically, through the (UN) Security Council" and preserve the unity of the Council. U.N. Security Council President Fernando Berrocal Soto said he expects a statement will be adopted by the Council by December 19. Talking with journalists after his private meeting with the Council, Butler said that "the Council was very, very clear that access is really important to UNSCOM. We can't do our work adequately without it. "I hope that will be reflected in a statement by the Council. There were one or two positive developments during our talks in Baghdad and I think that the Council will recognize that as well," Butler added. British Ambassador Sir John Weston also called Butler's report discouraging and added that around the Council table there was "full support for the work" of Butler and other UNSCOM officials. "I think it's important to recall -- as we all have done this morning -- that when the Special Commission (UNSCOM) went back into Iraq in November it did so on an unconditional basis, an unconditional basis, and to recall...that it can only do its work if it has unrestricted access and is able to go where it needs to go, when it needs to go," Sir John said. Iraq's new conditions and qualifications are "going to make it more difficult, not less to achieve the objectives" of lifting sanctions and returning Iraq to the "respectable company of nations," the British envoy said.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
