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26 February 1998

DON'T BASH THE UN, ALBRIGHT SAYS, TEST THE UN-IRAQ ACCORD

(Secretary of State counters Sen. Lott's criticisms) (530)
By Jane A. Morse
USIA Diplomatic Correspondent
Washington -- Secretary of State Albright urged the U.S. Congress to
give the UN-Iraq accord a chance to be tested as she countered
criticisms made by Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott
(Republican-Mississippi) during a press conference she held on Capitol
Hill February 25.
Albright emphasized that the agreement brokered between UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan and Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein must be tested.
"We will not know what we have until this is tested," she cautioned.
"Saddam Hussein signed a piece of paper, but we have known him in the
past to back off."
As for Lott's criticisms, Albright advised: "I think that we need to
understand what we have accomplished rather than to be critical
without any solution."
In remarks made on the Senate floor February 25, Lott said it was
"folly" for the UN Secretary-General to trust Saddam Hussein and that
too much had been "given away" to get the agreement. "We cannot afford
peace at any price," Lott was quoted as saying.
"This is not a time to bash the United Nations," Albright countered,
"this is a time to understand that this agreement is a useful one that
needs to have some clarifications."
"No way has the United States given away anything," said the Secretary
of State. "We have, in fact, I think, gained," she said, pointing out
that "Saddam Hussein has reversed course."
Albright said that UNSCOM, the UN Special Commission in Iraq that is
responsible for conducting inspections for chemical and biological
weapons in that country has been "very successful in getting rid of
weapons of mass destruction; frankly, more than the Gulf War did."
If UNSCOM can do its work "in an unfettered, unconditional way," she
said, then we have gained." But she added that "if Saddam Hussein does
not live up to his obligations, then we still have the option of
military force that we had before."
After months of stonewalling U.N. inspectors, the Iraqi leadership
agreed to a pact negotiated by Annan during his visit to Baghdad
February 20-22.
The pact stipulates that:
-- Richard Butler, chairman of the UN Special Commission in Iraq
(UNSCOM), will maintain operational control of all inspections in
Iraq.
-- Butler will continue to report directly to the United Nations
Security Council, not to a new political adviser in the U.N. Secretary
General's office as reported in the media.
-- A special inspection group will be created to inspect "sensitive
presidential sites" in Iraq. The commissioner chosen to head this
group will be an UNSCOM commissioner who will report to Butler.
-- The team leader for the special inspection group will be one of the
UNSCOM inspectors. UNSCOM inspectors are technical experts regarding
weapons of mass destruction.
-- Diplomats will accompany the special inspection group as observers,
but it will be the inspectors who will be in charge of each inspection
mission.
"Kofi Annan has taken a very important step," Albright said, "and the
Security Council is now examining what he brought back." But she also
warned "this is not over."