29 January 2003
Diplomatic Window is Closing for Iraq, U.S. Says
(U.N. Security Council discussing weapons inspectors' reports) (1240) By Judy Aita Washington File United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- "The diplomatic window is closing" for Iraq and the time for the U.N. Security Council to make a decision "is fast approaching," U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said January 29. The Security Council held a day-long closed session to evaluate the reports of the chief U.N. weapons inspectors on their first 60 days in Iraq. Presenting his report January 27, Hans Blix, the head of the U.N. Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), told the Security Council that significant questions remain on Iraqi's chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missile programs, and the 12,000-page final declaration Iraq submitted in December 2002 leaves many unanswered questions. Both Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said that Baghdad should be more forthcoming with information and allow greater access to scientists and other key personnel with knowledge of the country's weapons programs. Blix said that "Iraq has decided in principle" to cooperate on process, particularly in granting access to sites and providing support services for UNMOVIC, but has not made a similar decision on providing substance on its banned weapons programs. One of the major factors influencing the council's discussion is President Bush's announcement in his State of the Union address January 28 that Secretary of State Colin Powell will meet with the council to present information and intelligence about Iraq's illegal weapons programs, its attempts to hide those weapons, and its links to terrorist groups. Powell will address a public meeting of the council of February 5. A number of foreign ministers whose countries are on the council are planning to attend the session, diplomats say. Speaking with journalists outside the council's chambers, Negroponte said that a "period of intense diplomatic activity" is beginning to unfold, not only at U.N. headquarters but also among foreign ministers and heads of state around the world. Powell's February 5 briefing will be part of that process, he said. The United States is "convinced Iraq maintains and continues to pursue its (weapons of mass destruction) programs," the ambassador said. "Clearly, the president wouldn't have offered to have Secretary Powell come and make this briefing next Wednesday if we didn't believe this were the case." "We think the time for diplomatic action is narrowing, the diplomatic window is closing," he said. "We feel that the time for decisionmaking is fast approaching. We don't have a specific timetable in mind, but the situation is urgent. It is pressing. The window is closing in on us," Negroponte said. "It is not for the inspectors to go under every rock in Iraq and unearth weapons the Iraqis may have hidden," the U.S. ambassador also said. "The burden of proof in this resolution (1441) is definitely on Iraq itself to come forward and do two things: One, to fully and completely declare its weapons holdings and, secondly, to cooperate fully, unconditionally, immediately and proactively with the inspectors." "We do not believe" that this has happened, Negroponte said. Negroponte said that he will be pressing the issue of Iraq's unsuccessful attempts to buy high strength aluminum tubes, which can be used in the construction of centrifuges used to enrich uranium for nuclear weapons. ElBaradei said that IAEA is investigating the issue. "The preponderance of our intelligence community believes that these tubes are of the fineness and of the kind of tooling and workmanship that is definitely consistent with use in enriching uranium," the U.S. ambassador said. "The way in which Iraq has gone about trying to procure those tubes suggests quite clearly that they are seeking to do something illicit," Negroponte said. As ambassadors left the closed session and spoke with journalists, what emerged was a picture of a council divided on how much more time the inspectors should be given but united on the need for Iraq to step up its cooperation and realize that time was, indeed, running out for it to disarm peacefully. On the question of timing, the positions ranged from Syrian Ambassador Mikhail Wehbe's assertion that the inspectors must be given "enough time to finish their work" to Spanish Ambassador Inocencio Arias' declaration: "a short time, a short time." Arias said that he has doubts the inspections will produce anything significant without the good will of Iraq. He pointed out that Resolution 1441 passed in November clearly stated that Iraq had to cooperate in an active way. "It is not the question of opening some door or offering some tea to the inspector. It is a question of active cooperation," the ambassador said. The fact that 6,500 bombs are unaccounted for is "not a trivial matter," Arias said. "In which country in the world can 6,500 -- not one or two or three or five -- but 6,500 bombs disappear?" "We can mention 20 occasions where Blix said (Iraq) is not cooperating ... 20 occasions in two months," Arias said. Ambassador Stefan Tafrov of Bulgaria said he hopes the council can unite to solve the crisis by peaceful means, but, he said, his country is "very disappointed by the Iraqi cooperation so far." German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger said that with the number of weapons inspectors approaching full strength, the inspections should be given more time. Nevertheless, Pleuger also stressed that "Iraq has to apply itself and to understand more active cooperation is necessary." Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom said that Blix's report "has changed the character of the debate." "We haven't had anything more than partial, passive cooperation," Greenstock said. "A little bit of access, yes, but prevarication and intimidation and harassment increasingly evident. ... The question is: Does Iraq realize that the game is up or doesn't it." The council's debate "is moving on," he said. "It is a question of the attitude." Resolution 1441 calls for Iraq to cooperate unequivocally, Greenstock said. "An unequivocally full glass. It isn't a matter of waiting for the drops to fill the glass, a matter of the drips that may not come." Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere of France said that the council must "pursue the path of inspections with resolve." But de la Sabliere added that "Iraq must cooperate more proactively in conformity with 1441. The current level of Iraq's cooperation is not enough. It is essential for Iraq to do more. Iraq must intensify its cooperation so as to facilitate the work of the inspectors." IAEA Director General ElBaradei told journalists that while his inspectors can come to a conclusion on Iraq's nuclear weapons program, their situation is different from the other weapons inspectors. "We started from a different baseline," he said. "In 1998 we neutralized Iraq's nuclear weapons program. We also have very sophisticated techniques to detect any radioactivity in Iraq so we are able to make progress." "However, unless chemical and biological [and] missile [inspectors] are making equal progress Iraq will not move forward," ElBaradei said. "We need -- and Iraq should understand -- we need to make quick progress on all fronts. Iraq needs to show proactive support in the next few weeks because we all know time is running out and the international community is getting impatient," 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 |
|
|
|
