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Blix iraq new cooperation { February 25 2003 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64726-2003Feb25.htmlhttp://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A64726-2003Feb25.html
Blix Says Iraq Signals New Cooperation
By Dafna Linzer
The Associated Press
Tuesday, February 25, 2003; 1:30 PM
UNITED NATIONS –– The chief U.N. weapons inspector said Tuesday that Baghdad has shown new signs of substantive cooperation in recent days, but President Bush urged the United Nations to "honor its word" and back a U.S. resolution declaring Iraq had missed its chance to disarm peacefully.
Hans Blix said Iraq had provided inspectors with half a dozen letters containing new information on weapons, including one letter informing inspectors that the Iraqis had found a bomb capable of carrying biological or chemical agents.
"There are some elements which are positive which need to be explored further," Blix told reporters. Still, Blix said he has received no reply from the Iraqi government to his order to begin destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles by Saturday.
Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein hinted in an interview with CBS' Dan Rather that he might not destroy the missiles. Iraq disputes U.N. findings that the missiles exceed range limits set by the Security Council at the end of the 1991 Gulf War, which removed Iraqi troops from neighboring Kuwait.
In a one-page draft resolution submitted Monday by the United States, Britain and Spain, the three allies asked the council decide "that Iraq has failed to take the final opportunity afforded to it in Resolution 1441," which was adopted unanimously by the council on Nov. 8. Officials said they expect a vote a few days after Blix appears before the council next, on March 7.
In Washington, President Bush urged the United Nations to support the resolution.
In a brief exchange with reporters, Bush was asked what it would take to avoid war. "Full disarmament," he replied tersely. "The man has been told to disarm. For the sake of peace he must completely disarm."
Prime Minister Tony Blair said the period prior to the vote affords Saddam "one further final chance" to comply with U.N. demands.
"Today the path to peace is clear," Blair added. "Saddam can cooperate fully with the inspectors. He can voluntarily disarm, he can even leave the country peacefully. But he cannot avoid disarmament."
While the resolution doesn't specifically ask the council to sanction war, adopting the draft would be tantamount to Security Council authorization for a military campaign.
Most council members have pushed for continued inspections, even after the top inspectors reported that Iraq is not complying with its disarmament obligations. The council decided to hold another closed meeting to discuss the proposed resolution, along with a memorandum to pursue a peaceful disarmament of Iraq through strengthened inspections.
France, Russia and Germany, which oppose the military option, submitted the memorandum. Under that plan, inspections would extend beyond July 1, when the heat would make fighting more difficult. The memorandum won immediate backing from China, despite Secretary of State Colin Powell's lobbying efforts with top officials in Beijing.
Getting approval for the U.S.-backed resolution will be a daunting task. To pass, the resolution must have nine "yes" votes and avoid a veto by France, Russia or China. Only Bulgaria is considered a strong bet to support the Americans, British and Spanish.
Blix has complained that Iraq was not providing substantive information about its weapons program. The issue is at the heart of the U.S. case for war.
Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Mohammed Al-Douri said his government had set up two commissions to search for documentation and evidence of nuclear, chemical, biological and long-range weapons programs.
"As a result of inquiries in Iraq, on a daily basis we are providing Mr. Blix with results," Al-Douri told The Associated Press.
In Baghdad, Hiro Ueki, spokesman for the inspectors, said Iraq had also provided a new list of scientists associated with the country's biological and missile programs.
Blix said one letter from Iraq informed inspectors that the Iraqis had found an R-400 aerial bomb containing liquid in a site "which is known to us at which they did dispose of biological weapons before."
He gave no details, but R-400 aerial bombs can be filled with biological or chemical agents.
Washington has reserved the right to wage war without U.N. support, but backing from the body would bring legitimacy and financial support for military action and its aftermath.
Turkey's Cabinet agreed Monday to host tens of thousands of U.S. troops, a key step toward allowing Washington to push ahead with plans for a northern front against Iraq. But a final parliamentary vote on the issue was delayed Tuesday as Turkish and U.S. negotiators failed to agree on several details.
In a bid to win support fritish diplomats say it is implicit.
Instead, the resolution — acting under a section of the U.N. Charter which makes resolutions militarily enforceable — recalls the tough language that the council agreed to when they passed Resolution 1441 three months ago.
Top U.N. inspectors have complained that Iraq hasn't been fully cooperating or providing evidence to answer outstanding questions about its weapons programs. Blix, who was meeting Tuesday with his advisory board, was working on a list of disarmament tasks Iraq has yet to fulfill. The list will likely be included in Blix's next report March 1 and raised when he speaks to the council one week later.
© 2003 The Associated Press
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