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31 January 2003

Nothing New In Iraqi Invitation, Negroponte Says

(Ambassador does not see new attitude in Baghdad) (320)
By Judy Aita
Washington File United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- Iraq's latest invitation to the chief U.N. weapons
inspectors to visit Baghdad before their next report to the U.N.
Security Council appears to be part of an old pattern, not an
indication of any Iraqi change of attitude, U.S. Ambassador John
Negroponte said January 31.
On January 30 Iraq proposed that Hans Blix, the head of the U.N.
Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), and
Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA), return to Baghdad for more talks aimed at bolstering
"cooperation and transparency," according to a statement by the Iraqi
Foreign Ministry. Iraq suggested the meetings take place before
February 10.
Blix and ElBaradei are scheduled to make another interim report to the
U.N. Security Council on February 14. Their most recent report to the
Security Council was a 60-day report as required by resolution 1441 on
January 27. The two inspectors last visited Baghdad January 19 and 20,
but the talks failed to clear up two major issues: the U.N.'s use of
U-2 reconnaissance flights and private interviews with Iraqi
scientists.
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell is to meet with the Security
Council February 5 to provide U.S. gathered information and
intelligence on Iraqi's weapons of mass destruction programs, efforts
to hide them, and links to terrorism.
In Vienna ElBaradei said that he is considering the Iraqi invitation.
Talking with journalists outside the Security Council, Negroponte said
"we certainly don't see anything new in this invitation."
"My first reaction would be that this is a tactic of some sort that
does not represent any fundamental change in their basic approach to
the inspections and to resolution 1441 which has been one of
non-cooperation in every respect," the ambassador 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)