Iraq:  Leading U.S. Democrat Supports Iraq Attack

U.S. House of Representatives Minority Leader Richard Gephardt (D-Mo.) yesterday said he would support the Bush administration if it decided to use military force against Iraq (see GSN, May 24).

“I share President [George W.] Bush’s resolve to confront this menace head-on,” Gephardt said in a speech to the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Council on Foreign Relations.

“We should use diplomatic tools where we can, but military means where we must to eliminate the threat [Iraqi President Saddam Hussein] poses to the region and our own security,” he said.

Gephardt’s speech marks “a very significant turning point” on Iraq, said Marshall Wittman, a Republican analyst at the Hudson Institute.  Democrats are working to appear strong on national security issues in preparation for future elections, he added.

“The perceived vulnerability of the Democrats as they look forward to 2002 and 2004 is national security, and it makes perfect political sense to make sure there’s no daylight between themselves and the president on Iraq,” Mr. Wittman said.

The National Republican Congressional Committee said, however, that “no matter what Gephardt says, he cannot erase his abysmal record on national security” (Amy Fagan, Washington Times, June 5).

Syria

Meanwhile, Syria continued to say that it does not violate U.N. sanctions by allowing flights to and allegedly importing oil from Iraq (see GSN, Jan. 29). 

“We are a member of the Security Council committed to any article in the resolutions,” said Syrian Ambassador to the United Nations Mikhail Wehbe.  Syria is the current council president.

Syria allows daily flights to Iraq, according to Iraqi announcements and listings on the Web site of Syrian Airlines, Reuters reported.  The Security Council’s sanctions committee has been unable to decide whether sanctions prohibit passenger flights to Iraq.

Industry sources also say Syria has been importing more than 100,000 barrels of oil a day from Iraq, paying Iraq directly rather than through the U.N. system, according to Reuters.  Wehbe said Syria follows U.N. rules and is only repairing an old pipeline to Iraq (Reuters, June 4).

For further information, see:

U.N. Resolution 687 (Sanctions Regime)

U.S. State Department Fact Sheet on Sanctions Revisions

U.N. Resolution 706 (Oil-For-Food Program)

U.N. Office of the Iraq Program

U.N. Basic Facts on Oil for Food

Oil-for-Food Office Weekly Updates

Back to top

Iraq:  UNMOVIC to Hire Additional Staff

The U.N. inspection organization for Iraq plans to hire additional staff, the head of the organization said yesterday (see GSN, May 30).

The move comes both as a response to U.N. sanctions revisions and in preparation for possibly returning weapons inspectors to Iraq, said Hans Blix, executive chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Inspection and Verification Commission, in the commission’s quarterly report.

In addition to a list of 230 experts available to go to Iraq at short notice, the commission had 58 professional staff at its headquarters at the end of last month, Blix said.  U.N. sources said Blix is considering hiring eight additional staff members, according to Agence France-Presse.

New positions have opened up since the Security Council revised the oil-for-food program that regulates sanctions against Iraq, Blix said.  The revisions require UNMOVIC to examine certain exports to Iraq to prevent the country from importing goods with potential military applications (Agence France-Presse/Jordan Times, June 3).

Additionally, UNMOVIC inspectors are preparing for a possible return to Iraq, Blix said (see GSN, Feb. 21).  Their work includes studying satellite photos, classifying sites that previous U.N. inspectors visited and sites UNMOVIC staff might inspect in the future, analyzing Iraq’s declarations concerning its biological weapons program and preparing a list of disarmament issues that Iraq must answer (Edith Lederer, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, June 3).

In the report, Blix welcomed “Iraq’s willingness to discuss issues related to inspections in Iraq” — something the country refused to do a year ago, according to diplomats.

Iraq, which has held two meetings with U.N. officials, is scheduled to hold a third round of talks in Vienna July 4-5 (see GSN, May 22).  Blix said that during the talks he plans to “focus on Iraq’s acceptance of the practical arrangements necessary for the resumption of inspections.”  It would be “unfortunate” if UNMOVIC inspectors faced “practical problems” upon returning to Iraq, he added.

Meanwhile, Iraq continues to export crude oil under the oil-for-food program, an Iraqi oil official said yesterday.

“Oil exports and the pumping of Iraqi oil are continuing despite press reports that crude loadings in the Turkish port of Ceyhan have stopped,” the official said.

Iraq’s approved oil exports go through the Turkish port of Ceyhan and the Mina al-Bakr terminal on the Gulf (Agence France-Presse/Jordan Times).

For further information, see:

UNMOVIC

U.N. Resolution 1409 (“Smart Sanctions”)

U.S. State Department Fact Sheet on Sanctions Revisions

U.N. Office of the Iraq Program

U.N. Basic Facts on Oil for Food

Oil-for-Food Office Weekly Updates

Back to top

About Newswire  |  Contact National Journal  |  Re-Use Guidelines

HOME  |  CONTACT US  |  GET INVOLVED  |  SITE MAP