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Iraq I: Baghdad Still Not Firmly Committed to Disarmament, Blix Says As the U.N. Security Council meets today to begin discussions over a U.S.-British resolution against Iraq, chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said yesterday that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein still has not made a “fundamental decision” to comply with inspections (see GSN, Feb. 26). Blix did say he welcomed several recent letters from Iraq that contained new information about its weapons programs, but he added that these did not represent “full cooperation or a breakthrough.” Blix made his comments prior to delivering a 16-page report on the status of inspections to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. The report had been due Saturday (Edith Lederer, Associated Press/Boston Globe, Feb. 27). “We have a very long list of disarmament issues and it will require a big effort in order to clarify all of those,” Blix said. “I do not think I can say there is evidence of a fundamental decision (to disarm), but there is some evidence of some increased activity. There is certainly more activity now,” he added. A source close to Blix described the Iraqi letters, which contained information on the discovery of documents related to the destruction of prohibited items and the discovery of a R-400 bomb, as “peanuts” (James Bone, London Times, Feb. 27). Competing Security Council Measures Meanwhile, the Security Council is scheduled to meet behind closed doors today to begin discussions on both the British-introduced resolution on Iraq and a French-German-Russian counterproposal to extend the inspections process, according to Agence France-Presse. A vote on the resolution is not expected until at least mid-March (Robert Holloway, Agence France-Presse, Feb. 27). Canada proposed Tuesday that the council give Iraq until March 31 to fully comply with inspections, or then authorize military action, according to the National Post. The proposal was contained in a two-page document that Canadian U.N. Ambassador Paul Heinbecker privately gave to council members. The proposal calls for inspectors to prioritize Iraq’s remaining disarmament tasks and to provide time frames to be used as benchmarks. The council would receive weekly briefings throughout March, with a “final report” on March 28, the Post reported. The Canadian proposal offers a timetable for continued inspections past the end of March only if inspectors report to the council “substantial Iraqi compliance” in the March 28 briefing, according to the Post. “If the inspectors have reported continued Iraqi evasion, all necessary means could be used to force them to disarm,” the proposal says. U.S. officials did not comment on the Canadian proposal. Council diplomats who side with the U.S.-British stance on Iraq, however, reacted with caution. “There is a certain amount of appeal in somehow combining the U.S.-U.K.-Spanish proposal and the French-Russian-German proposal,” said a diplomat. “But I am not sure they are combinable. The Canadian one has the advantage over the French of actually having a sense of urgency. But it isn’t really gripping the core problem of Iraq’s failure to comply. It is trying to put the burden on the inspectors,” the diplomat added. The Canadian proposal also failed to find overwhelming support among French and German diplomats. They said they objected to the establishment of any deadlines. “I don’t see how this would bridge the gap,” said a diplomat supportive of the French-German position. “We are not in favor of any type of deadline or showdown,” the diplomat added (Steven Edwards, National Post, Feb. 26). French President Jacques Chirac yesterday once again reiterated his country’s firm opposition to a new U.N. resolution seeking to authorize military action against Iraq. “We are opposed to every new resolution,” Chirac said. “We have a common goal of eliminating the arms of mass destruction in Iraq, but we do not share the same view on the means to attain this goal,” he added (Elaine Sciolino, New York Times, Feb. 27). U.S. Diplomatic Efforts The United States might be having more luck in persuading Russia, another permanent council member, to support the new resolution, according to the Washington Post. Russian lawmaker Mikhail Margelov, as well as other sources, said yesterday that Russia would probably not veto the new resolution. Russian President Vladimir Putin has informed U.S. President George W. Bush and other senior U.S. officials that he does not believe war with Iraq is necessary, officials said, but Putin has also indicated, that Russia would not block such action. “Putin tries to think strategically and longer-term: ‘Whose side do I want to be on when the dust settles,’” a U.S. official said, adding that the White House has made clear to Putin the importance of the Iraqi issue (Slevin/LaFraniere, Washington Post, Feb. 27). The United States also appears to be making headway among the nonpermanent members of the Security Council, according to the Los Angeles Times. Pakistan indicated to the United States yesterday that it would support the new resolution on Iraq, U.S. and Pakistani officials said. “We are very good allies of the United States and value our relationship and want to see that blossom,” a senior Pakistani official said in an interview with the Times. “The issue of Iraq will not become a problem between us,” the official added. There are concerns that Pakistan’s support for a war against Iraq could lead to a rise in domestic unrest, which could be reduced if U.N. inspectors find Iraq in material breach of its obligations, the senior Pakistani official said. Even without this, however, Pakistan will still support the resolution, the official added. “It’ll help us politically to have U.N. inspectors come back and say Iraq is in final material breach. But will the (Pakistani) government fall if this does not happen? No,” a second Pakistani official said. “A lot of American flags are being burnt, but we can weather that,” the official added. The United States has not attempted to buy Pakistan’s support, such as through increased economic aid, Pakistani officials said. “We are not asking any price for our support. The U.S. has not leaned on us. We have a principled position. We’re aware of each other’s point of view and agreed on what Iraq has to do,” the senior official said (Farley/Wright, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 27). One way Bush could increase support for the U.S. position on Iraq among European leaders is by keeping a tighter rein on U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said yesterday. Rumsfeld has often been the focus of European opposition to the U.S. position on Iraq, according to the Wall Street Journal. Rumsfeld has come under criticism for a number of remarks, such as by comparing Germany to Libya and Cuba because of Berlin’s approach to the Iraq crisis. “I did tell the president that we need a lot of (U.S. Secretary of State Colin) Powell and not much of Rumsfeld,” said Aznar, who met with Bush over the weekend at his Texas ranch. “Ministers of defense should talk less, shouldn’t they? The more Powell speaks and the less Rumsfeld speaks, that wouldn’t be a bad thing altogether,” he added (Kempe/Vitzthum, Wall Street Journal, Feb. 27). Blair Survives Internal Dissent British lawmakers yesterday approved a government-sponsored motion supporting Prime Minister Tony Blair’s approach to the Iraq situation. More than 100 lawmakers from Blair’s own Labor Party, however, failed to side with him in the vote, according to the Associated Press. The British House of Commons voted 434-124 in favor of a motion supporting Blair’s efforts to resolve the Iraq situation through the United Nations and calling on Iraq “to recognize this as its final opportunity” to disarm itself of weapons of mass destruction. British lawmakers also voted yesterday 393-199 against an amendment to the motion that said “the case for military action against Iraq (is) as yet unproven.” In that vote, 122 Labor members supported the amendment, making it the largest internal revolt since the party took control, AP reported. The House of Commons will get another opportunity to vote on military action if the conflict with Iraq continues to escalate, British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said. Such a vote might have to occur after a conflict begins, however, in order to maintain the safety of British troops in the region, he added (Beth Gardiner, Associated Press/Boston Globe, Feb. 27). Inspections U.N. inspectors visited at least 11 suspect Iraqi sites yesterday, according to an International Atomic Energy Agency press release. Biological experts from the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission visited al-Aziziyah Range, where they inspected excavated munitions and fragments and conducted an aerial survey. UNMOVIC chemical inspectors traveled to al-Muthana site, where they resumed the destruction of mustard gas-filled artillery shells. UNMOVIC chemical inspectors also visited the Dar al-Salam Sulphuric acid facility and al-Naif Sulphonic Acid facility. An UNMOVIC missile inspections team visited al-Shika Company to verify Iraq’s declaration of the site and to establish a comprehensive monitoring system. A second missile team inspected and tagged equipment that had been previously destroyed by inspectors, but later rebuilt, at al-Amin Factory. Inspectors then traveled to al-Basil Company to tag a piece of equipment there that had been previously destroyed by inspectors but was later rebuilt. Inspectors based in the northern city of Mosul visited two sites — the Tuberculosis and Respiratory Disease Unit in Mosul and the Badush Cement Factory, the IAEA release said. IAEA inspectors visited the Ibn al-Beythar Research Center in the Taji area, north of Baghdad. They also conducted a radiation survey in the Zafaraniya area of Baghdad (IAEA release, Feb. 26). For further information, see:
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