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Iraq II: U.S. Gives Cool Reception to Iraqi Offer for U.N. Talks Iraq’s offer to resume talks with the United Nations “without preconditions” drew a cool response from the United States yesterday, while Russia considered the development in a positive light (see GSN, Feb. 5). U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said any U.N.-Iraq discussion should be short. “The inspectors have to go back in under our terms, under no one else’s terms, under the terms of the Security Council resolution,” Powell said. “The burden is on this evil regime to demonstrate to the world that they are not doing the kinds of things we suspect them of” (see related GSN story, today). Some Arab countries also responded with caution. “They [Iraq’s leaders] have to take steps, but they also have to have a clear picture of where to go from here,” said Arab League spokesman Hisham Youssef. “They say they want to settle the problems with their neighbors, the problems with the U.N. We’ve been there before,” said Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher (Howard Schneider, Washington Post, Feb. 6). Russia Hopeful Meanwhile, Russia has proposed that Iraq allow U.N. weapons inspectors to return in exchange for a suspension of U.N. sanctions, said Russian official Yevgeny Yagupets yesterday — a day after the United Nations announced that Iraq offered to hold talks. “It is a fairly realistic prospect. It should happen before the end of May when the current sanctions regime ends,” he said (see GSN, Jan. 11). “The signs are good. They are ready to restore contact with the United Nations.” Under Russia’s proposal, the United Nations would immediately suspend sanctions against Iraq once Iraq allows inspectors to return, and it would completely lift sanctions once inspections are finished (see GSN, Jan. 18). Yagupets added that any inspection teams should not include U.S. or British personnel. “There should be no U.S. or British inspectors. There are qualified experts from other countries in the U.N. Security Council — Russia, China and France. You have to appreciate Iraqi sensitivities,” he said. Meanwhile, Iraqi Vice President Taha Yassin Ramadan said he opposes Russia’s proposal because it links lifting sanctions to a renewal of weapons inspections (Agence France-Presse, Feb. 5).
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