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24 February 1998

US AMBASSADOR RICHARDSON CAUTIOUS ABOUT THE UN/IRAQ PACT

(U.S. wants to see "deeds not words," envoy says)  (720)
By Judy Aita
USIA United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- Praising Secretary General Kofi Annan's efforts in
Baghdad, U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson February 24 gave qualified
support to the agreement the U.N. leader negotiated with Iraq, but
suggested that it should be quickly tested.
Annan discussed the "memorandum of understanding between the United
Nations and the Republic of Iraq" in a closed meeting with Security
Council members as soon as he arrived at UN headquarters from his
five-day mission to Baghdad, where he sought to broker a solution to
the impasse over Iraq's refusal to cooperate with UN weapons
inspectors that would avert threatened military action.
The agreement he obtained commits Iraq to allow the U.N. Special
Commission in Iraq (UNSCOM) inspectors searching for chemical and
biological weapons and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
"immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access" to any site in the
country and to work with UNSCOM.
However, some diplomats expressed concern over other parts of the
two-page agreement which call for the establishment of a special group
of senior diplomats headed by a "commission appointed by the Secretary
General" to work with UNSCOM and IAEA in inspecting the presidential
sites, which were previously off-limits to U.N. inspectors.
"This is a good agreement. This is a step in the right direction but
this agreement would not have happened had it not been for President
Clinton's policy of diplomacy backed by force," Richardson told
journalists after the Council meeting.
The Ambassador said the United States is pleased "that it appears to
be full, unconditional access to all sites -- presidential and
sensitive sites. But we want to see deeds and not words." Richardson
said the U.S. will not set any deadlines on Iraq, but that compliance
with the agreement is critical.
"We believe this agreement needs to be tested. We believe this
agreement needs to be verified. We believe this agreement needs to be
complied with by Iraq," the Ambassador said.
The United States has asked the Secretary General to clarify a number
of issues, especially the importance of the UN weapons inspectors and
UNSCOM's role in any inspection; whether the reference in the text to
Iraq's sovereignty can be used as an excuse for Baghdad to ban
inspectors from some sites, and details on the special group of
diplomats that will accompany UNSCOM to presidential sites.
"We think it's very important that the U.N. Special Commission be the
key operational authority in this agreement. That is our very strong
point of view," the Ambassador said. "We believe that we've got some
issues to be clarified about the importance of UNSCOM and we will
attempt in the days ahead to clarify more areas in the agreement."
Richardson said this is essential "because details and fine print are
key in any kind of agreement.
"Our concern," he said, "is not the Secretary General. Our concern is
not the UN. It is Saddam Hussein -- whether he will find loopholes in
some of the ambiguities in the language." If Iraq violates the new
agreement, Richardson warned, "there will be serious consequences."
Nevertheless, the Ambassador said that he was pleased about the
several statements by the Secretary General about the preeminent role
of UNSCOM and its Executive Chairman.
"We're pleased that Iraq has signed a document with the Secretary
General. We think this is a good initiative but we believe very
strongly that it needs to be tested soon," Richardson said.
British Ambassador Sir John Weston said that his delegation also
sought reassurances from Annan about the professional integrity of the
weapons inspection process and UNSCOM.
Sir John said that he expected the Council to adopt a resolution in
the next several days to give official backing to the pact and
obligate Iraq to honor the agreement. Such a resolution along with the
expansion of the "oil-for-food" plan which was passed February 20
"ought to allow us to put our relationship with Iraq on a more stable
footing," he said. "But, of course, we need to have it demonstrated
that this memorandum of understanding can be converted into practice
and will work," the British envoy added.