07 October 1998
US SAYS IRAQ HAS 'NO CREDIBILITY' ON WEAPONS INSPECTIONS
(Security Council president also urges Iraq to cooperate) (950) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- Baghdad has "no credibility" in dealing with the UN Special Commission overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM), US Ambassador Peter Burleigh said October 7. "We do not trust the Iraqi government. They have no credibility with us on this subject for a lot of good reasons going back over so many years," Burleigh pointed to as a reason why the United States wants to see the UN weapons inspectors working in Iraq before the Security Council begins a so-called comprehensive review of Iraq's compliance with the Gulf War cease-fire demands. "Especially after what has happened now for 12 full months. From last October to this October there really has not been cooperation from Iraq with regard to the full range of inspections that are required," he told journalists after a private Security Council meeting. Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz left New York October 7 after more than a week of talks with Secretary General Kofi Annan and some members of the Security Council in an effort to end UN weapons inspections and have sanctions lifted. Aziz said Iraq has provided all the information necessary on its chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons programs and ballistic missiles that were banned after the Gulf War. He claims that the council has a "moral and legal" obligation to lift sanctions, but has not done so because the United States is blocking such action. The Security Council has demanded that Iraq resume cooperation with UNSCOM and said that it will not consider lifting sanctions or conducting the comprehensive review until cooperation is resumed. The secretary general said in a statement released October 7 that his meetings with the Iraqi official "took place in a constructive atmosphere." "Both sides agreed that the process of dialogue would continue. The deputy prime minister assured the secretary general that Iraq is prepared to work with the United Nations in a serious and professional manner to resolve the present situation and to facilitate a comprehensive review of the problem," the statement said. British Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock, president of the council for the month of October, said he told the deputy prime minister that "the Security Council is united -- there is no difference at all on the council -- that there must be a rescinding of the decision and cooperation demonstrated with UNSCOM and then we will move ... to a comprehensive review as soon as that happens." "Secondly, this was an opportunity which Iraq could not afford to miss if it wished to move forward out of the sanctions regime which it so dearly wants to do," Greenstock said. "The council has seen the way forward. It is now for Baghdad to take that opportunity," the president said. Burleigh said that the United States is "counting on governments that have close relations with Iraq to continue to press the Iraqis that this is what they must do." "If they want the light at the end of the tunnel that they are always talking about, if they want movement on any of these files, these transitions from disarmament to monitoring phases, if they want the lifting of sanctions, the burden is on Iraq to do what it needs to do," the ambassador said. A six-month UNSCOM report to the council delivered October 6 said that while significant progress has been made in the ballistic missile area, there are serious gaps on Iraq's VX chemical nerve agent and development of anthrax and botulinum toxin biological weapons programs. "UNSCOM makes it very clear that if Iraq would provide the information that is required in some of these files" a short amount of time is needed before UNSCOM can move from intrusive inspections to long-term monitoring, Burleigh said. "The issue here -- and I think it is important for us all not to forget it -- is that Iraq needs to comply," the US ambassador said. "The burden of responsibility is for Iraq to provide and disclose the information which UNSCOM and IAEA need to complete their tasks." "The Iraqi view that somehow it's the council's moral and other responsibility to take the next step is something we don't agree with," he said. "The step that is required now is for Iraq to live up to its responsibilities and provide the kind of information that both UNSCOM and IAEA need in order to complete their work," Burleigh said. "The key is whether or not Iraq is prepared to disclose its information and to date they have not been prepared to do so. We have the VX question, we have the anthrax question, we have missile questions. We have so many questions," he said. The ambassador also countered charges that the United States is maneuvering to put off the comprehensive review once Iraq resumes cooperation. The United States has suggested a period of about six weeks after inspections resume for the review to begin, he said. "The council is firmly agreed to having a comprehensive review as soon as Iraq does the two required things: it must rescind its announcement of August 5 and re-establish cooperation with UNSCOM and the IAEA," he said. "And that means inspections must go forward on the ground," Burleigh noted. "So there has to be a reasonable period of time ... how long is not that important, but there has to be demonstration on the ground that Iraq is being serious about it and dealing with it in good faith." (For more information on this subject, contact our special Iraq website at: http://www.usia.gov/iraq)
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