The Hindu : Relief over Saddam stance

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Nov 15, 2002

International

International

Relief over Saddam stance

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

United Nations Nov. 14. In spite of all the tough rhetoric against Iraq here and in Washington over the last several weeks there is relief that Saddam Hussein has indeed accepted the terms of the United Nations Security Council Resolution two days ahead of the expiration of the November 15 deadline. One expectation was that the Iraqi leader would stretch things out to the very last-minute.

The nine page reply-cum-acceptance from Iraq to the Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, is highly critical of the tone and substance of the Resolution 1441; and Baghdad has used the occasion to officially lash out against Britain and the United States for the "most wicked slander'' against Iraq. "...we will deal with Resolution 1441,despite its bad contents, if it is to be implemented according to the premeditated evil of the parties of ill-intent, the important thing in this is trying to spare our people from any harm...'', the Iraqi Foreign Minister, Naji Sabri, wrote to Mr. Annan.

Mr. Sabri also told Mr. Annan that in preparing to receive the weapons inspectors and for them to ensure that Iraq had not developed weapons of mass destruction since 1998, Baghdad was also looking up to the Security Council on the sanctions front after the fulfilling of its objectives.

The focus here and elsewhere has quickly shifted to the ground situation in Iraq as it pertains to inspections. As things stand the Chief Weapons Inspector, Hans Blix and the Head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed ElBaradei, will arrive in Baghdad next Monday with an advance team. Mr. Blix will be in charge of overseeing inspections on chemical and biological weapons; and Mr. ElBaradei and the IAEA will be in charge of the nuclear component.

Iraq has until December 8 to declare all its weapons programmes — chemical, biological and nuclear; weapons inspectors will have to begin work no later than December 23 and must report to the Security Council in sixty days. In the meantime inspectors will have to report immediately to the Security Council of any Iraqi infraction which will then be considered to be in "material breach'' of all obligations.

In Washington after a meeting with the U.S. President, George W Bush, the U.N. Secretary-General confirmed the Iraqi acceptance of Resolution 1441, but hastened to add that the issue was not acceptance but "performance on the ground''.

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