10 September 2002
Blix: U.N. Weapons Inspectors Have "Many Questions" for Iraq
(U.S. supports U.N. plan for resumed inspections, says Cunningham) (760) By Judy Aita Washington File United Nations Correspondant United Nations -- U.N. weapons inspectors have "many open questions" about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction that need to be answered by Baghdad, the head of the U.N. inspection unit said September 10. After a closed-door meeting with members of the Security Council, Hans Blix, the executive chairman of the U.N. Monitoring and Verification Commission (UNMOVIC), said that the commission did not have solid evidence that Iraq has weapons of mass destruction, but that many questions were left unanswered when U.N. weapons inspectors were expelled from Iraq in 1998. New satellite photographs also make it imperative that international weapons inspectors be allowed into the country, he said. Blix met with the council to discuss UNMOVIC's latest report, which states the commission's readiness to return to Iraq on short notice and outlines the unsuccessful talks with Iraqi officials to resume inspections over the past months. Speaking with journalists after the meeting, Blix said that "if I had solid evidence that Iraq retained weapons of mass destruction, I would take it to the Security Council. ... however there are many open questions which were put already by UNSCOM in 1999 and which are analyzed by us and these questions need to be answered." Blix said that UNMOVIC also has satellite imagery of nuclear installations in Iraq similar to those obtained by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. He said that UNMOVIC compared the new images "with the old pictures we have -- some 35,000 or so -- and of course we can see whether there have been extensions, things rebuilt ... We can see they have rebuilt types of things that did not exist before." "But it is not the same thing as weapons of mass destruction. It is precisely for these reasons that we would like to have inspectors on the ground so we can see the whole sum of it. Satellites do not see through the roofs," he said. "We are not drawing conclusions from [the photographs], but it would be an important element in where we want to go to inspect and to monitor," Blix said. The UNMOVIC executive chairman said that the return of weapons inspectors should be seen as "an opportunity and not as a penalty" by Iraq. "It is a chance for Iraq to demonstrate what they have, to come with answers, and if they have any weapons remaining somewhere -- which they deny -- they should present them and [have them] destroyed under our supervision," he said. "We think this is a great opportunity for Iraq. ... We provide the means, we can have credibility provided that we are thorough. We want to be effective and correct," Blix said. Nevertheless, he added, the "first condition is cooperation by Iraq in all respects." That is why the United Nations held three rounds of talks with Iraqi officials since March hoping to discuss practical arrangements for resuming the inspections. But the talks cannot be negotiations, Blix stressed. "It is not that we will sit down and sort of try to reach a new agreement. ... The rules are laid down by the Security Council. We would like to check points to see that we see eye-to-eye with Iraq" on unrestricted access, flight paths, and other matters. "We have declined the idea of discussing what were the open disarmament issues at the end of 1998. That is at variance with resolution 1284 and we are not willing to discuss that. We are willing to listen to any additional information that they have, but we are not going in contravention with the resolution," he said. U.S. Ambassador James Cunningham said that the United States supports Blix's report and UNMOVIC's efforts to prepare for inspections. "They are prepared," he said. During the council meeting, all of the council members "spoke about the need for Iraq to live up to its obligations under Security Council resolutions and the fact that they are not doing it," the ambassador said. "Our intention is and the intention of the members of the Security Council is to see Iraq comply," Cunningham said. "The structure of the resolutions and the process that Iraq has evaded and has always evaded and now is refusing to comply with ... is not on us or UNMOVIC to prove whether they have weapons of mass destruction," the ambassador said. "The burden of the process is on Iraq to prove that it does not. That was its obligation after the Gulf War, that's the obligation that it hasn't met, and that is the obligation that needs to be met," he said. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
