24 February 1998
ANNAN OPTIMISTIC IRAQI AGREEMENT WILL WORK
(Expects to test pact "as quickly as possible") (1220) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- Calling it "a good agreement, an agreement that I will defend anywhere," Secretary General Kofi Annan February 24 outlined for the Security Council the details of his compact with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein allowing U.N. inspectors access to any suspected weapons sites in the country. During a two-hour private meeting immediately after arriving from Baghdad, he presented the Council with the "Memorandum of Understanding" he signed February 23 with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz. The agreement reconfirms Iraq's acceptance of all Security Council resolutions, including the Gulf War cease-fire resolution (687), states Iraq's agreement to accord United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) inspectors searching for chemical, biological and other weapons of mass destruction "immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access" to all sites and sets up special procedures for investigating eight presidential sites. According to the agreement, the Secretary General will establish, with UNSCOM chairman Richard Butler, a special group of senior diplomats and experts drawn from UNSCOM and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The group will be headed by a "commissioner" appointed by the Secretary General. Arriving at UN headquarters from his five-day mission to the cheers of UN staff members, Annan praised President Bill Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair as "perfect UN peacekeepers," because they showed "that the best way to use force is to show it in order not to use it. "In demonstrating firmness and making military force available were it to be needed, they contributed to the solution," Annan said. To solve the impasse with Iraq, he said, "we needed courage, wisdom, and flexibility. In the past few days these qualities have been very much on display." The Secretary General also paid tribute to Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Foreign Minister Yevgeniy Primakov and other Russian diplomats, French President Jacques Chirac, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and Jordan's King Hussein for their help in pushing for diplomatic solution. As an example of "the concerns and determination of everyone to work to make this happen," Annan cited the offers of private planes from France, Qatar, Canada to speed his trip to Baghdad. "When we pull together from across the world and work together to solve the problem," he said, "we almost always can do it." Annan said after the Council meeting that he had "the general sense of approval" to the agreement, although he still has to explain to council members some details, "none of which give me or my team any difficulties." He said he is convinced that "once the explanations are given we will have unanimous and strong Council support." The Secretary General does not need the council's approval of the pact in legal terms, but it would be helpful in political terms. Thus Annan is hoping for a formal acceptance of the agreement, UN officials said. Council President Ambassador Denis Dangue Rewaka of Gabon said that "the Security Council expressed its gratitude to him for the action he undertook in Baghdad which led to the very satisfactory result, namely the memorandum of understanding. The Security Council encouraged the Secretary General to continue working to enable the United Nations to arrive at a prompt and lasting solution of that matter." U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson said that "this is a good agreement. This is a step in right direction but this agreement would not have happened had it not been for President Clinton's policy of diplomacy backed by force. "Now with this agreement we have to test it; we have to verify it; and we have to enforce it," Richardson said. "We want to see deeds and not words." 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. "These are essential because details and fine print are key in any kind of agreement," Richardson said. "Our concern 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." At a press conference after his meeting with the Council, Annan said that he was "perhaps not as pessimistic as some" about the Iraqi leader's cooperation. "I think I can do business with him. I think he was serious when he took the engagement. I think he realizes what it means for his people," Annan said. "He realizes that if he is going to see light at the end of the tunnel, Iraq has to cooperate and work with UNSCOM and UNSCOM should respond in kind to accelerate the process of disarmament," he said. The Secretary General said that he expects to test Iraq's compliance "as quickly as possible." Annan said that he believes the agreement will work because there is "a qualitative difference" about this pact with Iraq that others did not have. "In the years that the United Nations has been present in Baghdad many agreements have been signed, but none have been negotiated and approved with Saddam Hussein," he said. "This one was negotiated with the President himself, and the leadership has got the message that he wants cooperation, he wants it done," Annan said. The Iraqis are "very disciplined and hard-working people, and I think that with that leadership we will see a qualitative difference in their attitude," he said. For its part, the Secretary General said, "the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) staff members also have to handle Iraq and the Iraqis with a certain respect and dignity and not push our weight around and cause tensions." In answer to questions about the future of UNSCOM Chairman Richard Butler who has been at the center of the latest storm, Annan said that "Butler stays. "He remains the head of UNSCOM. I informed the Iraqi authorities and they know that," he said, adding that Butler is due to visit Baghdad in March. Annan acknowledged that the military build-up in the Gulf region probably helped his mission, saying that "you can do a lot with diplomacy, but with diplomacy backed up by force you can get a lot more done. "Diplomacy can be effective," he said, "but it helps to have a military presence in the region," he told the press conference. "If, in fact, you don't get to use it, it is even better." Annan said he was elated when he sensed that he would leave Baghdad with "a deal." He said he was "happy for the world and the people in the region and the poor Iraqi people. I was happy that their leader was seizing the moment and really wanted to do the right thing to protect his people, the region and, in time, to make friends and to come out of isolation." The Secretary General said that he made clear to Saddam Hussein that "the responsibilities of Iraq will have to be fulfilled before the sanctions are lifted" and he "understands it."
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