The Hindu : Iraq allows interviews with scientists

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 08, 2003

International

International

Iraq allows interviews with scientists

By Atul Aneja

MANAMA Feb. 7. With a military showdown fast becoming imminent and ahead of the chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix's visit to Baghdad on Saturday, Iraq has begun allowing private interviews of its scientists as sought by the U.N. Security Council. The U.N. weapons inspectors on Thursday conducted their first private interview with an Iraqi biological scientist. The session lasted for three hours and 32 minutes, the spokesperson for the U.N inspectors, Hiro Ueki, said in Baghdad.

Similar interaction was possible in the coming days, the Iraqi Presidential adviser, and Gen. Amir al-Saadi, indicated at a press conference on Thursday. Iraq's reluctance to allow private interviews and its refusal to guarantee the safety of the U.N. authorised U-2 spy planes has become a major source of friction with the U.N. inspectors. Gen. Al-Saadi also hinted that U-2 flights could begin in case the movement of the U.S. and British warplanes patrolling the northern Iraq to maintain a "no- fly-zone" were suspended when these spy-planes were airborne.

Analysts point out that faced with the possibility of a fast approaching war, Iraq may be beginning to demonstrate to a divided U.N. Security Council that is was moving from passive compliance to active cooperation with the U.N. inspections team. In case it can make this impression on Mr. Blix who is to submit a report to the Security Council on the Iraqi disposition towards inspections on February 14, it would strengthen the hands of France, Russia and China who are reluctant to endorse the use of force.

Turkey, whose support the U.S. would find crucial, had on Thursday sanctioned the entry of U.S. military personnel to modernise an unspecified number of Turkish airfields from where air strikes into northern Iraq could be launched. Meanwhile, Iraq has rebutted the allegations of the U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell, point by point. Gen. Al Saadi at the press conference dismissed the relevance of the telephone intercepts that Gen. Powell had played on Wednesday to demonstrate that Iraq was not complying with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441. "Regarding the (audio tapes) I will not grace them with any more comments. They were below the level of a superpower. One can ... fabricate anything in this regard and they are no evidence at all,'' Gen. Al Saadi said.

Iraq has also denied any links with the Al-Qaeda network. In an interview to the French daily Le Figaro, Iraq's deputy Prime Minister, Tariq Aziz, asserted, "Absolutely no links exist between us and Al-Qaeda." He also rejected the accusation that Iraq had secretly supported the extremist outfit Ansar-ul-Islam that is active in a Kurdish enclave in northern Iraq. On the contrary, Mr. Aziz asserted that Iraq had supported the fight against this organisation and had gone to the extent of arming the Kurdish rebel movement leader Jalal Talabiani when he had sought Baghdad's help.

Iraq also denied that it was sheltering Abul Musab al-Zarqawi, an Al-Qaeda operative of Jordanian nationality who allegedly has ties with Ansar al-Islam group. In recent years, Iraqi officials say, Baghdad made several offers to Washington to cooperate in combating terrorism but the United States had always failed to respond.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

International

Stories in this Section

Iraq allows interviews with scientists

U.K. dossier anything but a scoop?

Bush gives the go-ahead for cyber attack strategy

China walks a fine line with U.S.

U.S. upgrades alert status

LTTE Blast: Peace process suffers a jolt

Berlin talks begin

Putin best placed to mediate between India, Pak.: Musharraf

U.S. for tranquillity at LoC in summer

No MFN status, says Pak.