Iraq’s invitation to UN chief weapons inspector Hans Blix to visit Baghdad has put the United Nations in a difficult position – made even more complicated by comments from Blix published on Sunday that he wouldn’t visit until Iraq approves the return of UN weapons inspectors.
Blix wasn’t responding to the invitation from Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri because it arrived after he was interviewed on Thursday by the New York correspondent of the London-based pan-Arab newspaper Al-Hayat.
But his view that a visit to Baghad before inspectors are given a green light to return would only raise expectations and potentially create a crisis if talks with Iraqi officials broke down is nonetheless important.
Still, Sabri and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan agreed in July at the end of a third round of inconclusive talks in Vienna that ”technical talks” would continue. And Sabri’s invitation, which arrived on Thursday night, refers to the continuation of ”technical talks.”
But there is a wide gap between what the United Nations and the Iraqis believe ”technical talks” should accomplish – and that is likely to be a key point of discussion when Annan discusses the Iraqi invitation with the 15 members of the UN Security Council over lunch on Monday.
In the letter to Annan, Sabri said his government wants Blix and its own experts to determine the outstanding issues about Iraq’s banned weapons programs and to decide how to resolve them before inspectors return.
But a 1999 Security Council resolution requires that the inspectors return first and take up to 60 days to determine what questions Iraq must still answer about its chemical, biological, nuclear and missile programs. The council must give final approval to the list of outstanding issues.
UN representative Fred Eckhard said on Friday while Sabri’s plan was at odds with the Security Council’s, the letter was ”in line with the agreement to maintain contact including continuing discussions on technical matters.” But he said Annan viewed technical talks as a continuation of discussions between high-level experts including Blix on how the inspections would be conducted.
Iraq accused the UN Special Commission, which was created after the 1991 Gulf War to destroy Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, of spying. It was replaced in December 1999 by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission headed by Blix.
Iraq’s UN Ambassador Mohammad Al-Douri said he did not see any conflict and thinks Annan ”didn’t understand the real meaning of the letter.”
”The ultimate goal for the United Nations is the return of inspectors. Why shouldn’t we prepare for that properly? Those people need the help of the Iraqi government and the Iraqi government has some problems to discuss,” Al-Douri said in an interview.
Iraq wants to ensure ”there are no surprises” when the inspectors return, he said. ”If we have a dialogue nobody will be a loser,” Al-Douri stressed.
Underlying the discussion between Annan and the Security Council is US President George Bush’s call for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to be replaced. He has accused Iraq of trying to rebuild its banned weapons programs and of supporting terrorism, and has threatened unspecified consequences if inspectors are not allowed to return.
In Washington, Democratic Senator Joseph Biden of Delaware said on Sunday it was likely that America would go to war with Iraq as Saddam Hussein posed ”an extreme danger to the world.”
Speaking on NBC’s ”Meet the Press,” he said, ”The only question is, is it alone, is it with others and how long and how costly will it be?” He cited estimates that 75 000 US soldiers might be needed in Iraq for anywhere from 18 months to 20 years. – Sapa-AP