01 October 2002
U.N.'s Blix, Iraq End Talks on Weapons Inspection Logistics
(Powell calls for tough new U.N. Security Council inspection terms) (940) By Judy Aita Washington File U.N. Correspondent United Nations -- The chief U.N. weapons inspector said October 1 that, after two days of talks, he and Iraqi officials in Vienna had agreed that UN arms experts would have "immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access" to all sites in Iraq except eight so-called "presidential" sites. But in Washington Secretary of State Colin Powell said the position of the U.S. government is that the U.N. inspections of Iraq should only be conducted under a new U.N. Security Council resolution that contains "clear terms, tough terms, high standards" and "consequences" for Iraq if it does not abide by its terms. Hans Blix, executive chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) said in Vienna that during the "business-like and focused" talks Iraq turned over four CD ROMs containing the backlog of four years of semi-annual monitoring declarations that Iraq had failed to supply since June 1998. That information -- which is supposed to detail any changes to sites that have been inspected and explain the use of materials imported into Iraq that could be used for either civilian or military purposes -- will be most important in deciding where UNMOVIC "will go and what we will inspect," he said. Blix briefly described the results of the talks at a press conference in Vienna. He was accompanied by the director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the head of the Iraqi delegation. Blix said that he will present a detailed account of the talks to the members of the UN Security Council on October 3. Powell, however, said at the State Department that "We do not believe the inspection regime that existed previously is adequate to the demands of the day and adequate to the challenge we're facing right now with continued Iraqi intransigence." "Our position right now is that UNMOVIC cannot simply go back in under the former terms of reference," he said. "We can even see today that there were still places that were off limits, that were not talked about, that were not dealt with. There are still issues in debate. And so we don't want to get into a negotiating situation with the Iraqis under these old terms," Powell said. "That's why we need a new resolution with clear terms, tough terms, high standards -- because we are determined to solve this problem once and for all. And therefore, within the Security Council, I hope we will have discussions over the next couple of weeks beginning -- today, frankly; we had discussions in New York today on the elements of a resolution with different points of view being heard. But I hope that, as a result of that process, we will come up with strong new instructions for Dr. Blix. And Dr. Blix, as an agent of the Security Council, will carry out what the Security Council instructs him to do. Blix, asked in Vienna if he saw a difference in Iraq during this session, said he saw "a readiness to accept the inspectors that did not exist before." Since U.N. weapons inspectors left Iraq in December 1998 Iraq had not been ready to accept inspections. Even during the series of meetings held earlier this year "there was not a readiness to discuss these practical things," he explained. Many of the practical arrangements followed between 1991 and 1998 remain "viable and useful" and will be applied to the upcoming inspections, Blix said. "On the question of access, it was clarified that all sites are subject to immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access," including sites such as the ministry of defense which previously were classified by Iraq as sensitive sites, he said. "However, the Memorandum of Understanding of 1998 establishes special procedures for access to eight presidential sites." The 1998 memorandum of understanding (MOU) was negotiated by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to deal with U.N. weapons inspectors' visits to the eight compounds used by President Saddam Hussein. Under the MOU, Iraq is to be given advance notice of the visits, inspectors must wait for Iraqi approval, and inspectors are to be accompanied by a team of diplomats. The MOU was endorsed by the Security Council. Inspection of presidential sites were "not a subject on the agenda," Blix said. "The MOU remains valid." The UNMOVIC chairman said that his intent was not to "change the law adopted by the United Nations." If the Security Council wants to change the procedures for visiting presidential sites it "can take whatever measures it likes," he said. "We are a subsidiary organ of the Security Council and we will be bound by them," Blix said. The two days of talks covered practical arrangements on everything from where U.N. inspectors will arrive in the country and custom controls to where the inspectors will stay in Baghdad, the refurbishment of the abandoned UNMOVIC offices, and inspectors' travel throughout the country. "For improved efficiency, airplanes used by inspection staff arriving in Baghdad will land at Saddam International Airport, rather than at Habbaniya, which is some 80 kilometers from Baghdad," Blix said. "On the question of the use of fixed-wing planes, as well as helicopters, for inspection, the Iraqi delegation declared that Iraq would take all steps within its control to ensure the safety of inspection air operations; however, Iraq could not provide full guarantees about safety in the no-fly zones," he said. An advance party of inspectors is expected to arrive in Baghdad by mid-October. In the meantime, the United States and Great Britain have been holding talks both in capitals and at U.N. headquarters on the elements of a tough new resolution that would lay out the conditions of the inspections and Iraq's disarmament. Diplomats expect to council to vote on a resolution in the coming weeks. (The Washington File is a product of the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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