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Iraq parliment rejects { November 12 2002 } Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/12/international/12CND-IRAQ.htmlhttp://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/12/international/12CND-IRAQ.html
November 12, 2002
Iraq Parliament Rejects U.N. Call, Leaving Decision to Hussein
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
BEIRUT, Lebanon, Nov. 13 — In a surprising public display of rejection, the Iraqi Parliament today voted against cooperating with a United Nations Security Council resolution on resuming arms inspections. It put the final decision in the hands of President Saddam Hussein, where it always rested in the first place.
The vote came after foreign ministers of the Arab League, meeting in Cairo on Sunday, said accepting the inspections was the best way to avoid yet another war in the region.
It also followed a recommendation by Mr. Hussein's son, Odai, an influential figure in Iraq, for acceptance of the resolution, but with the condition that inspection teams have Arab members.
In Washington, the White House today dismissed the rejection as mere "political theater" and said it awaited Baghdad's official response.
"The Iraqi Parliament doesn't have much of any voice in the conduct of the affairs of this regime," said Washington's national security spokesman, Sean McCormack. "There's only one voice that truly matters in that despotic regime," he added, referring to Mr. Hussein. "This is political theater."
Commentators have noted that with Mr. Hussein the possibility always remains that he will do the completely unpredictable and reject the United Nations resolution, although that was deemed unlikely because the United States has made it clear that would be a cause for war.
In accepting a recommendation of its foreign relations committee to reject the resolution, Parliament said the "political leadership" should "adopt what it considers appropriate to defend the Iraqi people and Iraq's independence and dignity and authorizes President Saddam Hussein to adopt what he sees as appropriate expressing our full support for his wise leadership."
Iraq has until Friday to declare that it intends to comply fully with the terms of the resolution.
Some hint of what was to come was contained in the talks in Parliament on Monday, which were broadcast live on Iraqi satellite television. Salem al-Qubaissi, chairman of Parliament's Arab and international relations committee, said the committee would recommend rejecting United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 as tyrannical.
"International relations have deteriorated to the point where the evil American administration shamelessly announces plans to invade and occupy Iraq by force, to change the map of the region and rob it of its resources by force," Mr. Qubaissi said, before stressing that Parliament would support whatever the Iraqi leader believed was best.
"We are convinced of the ability of the Iraqi leader, this fighter, mujaheed, this man of values, of unlimited wisdom, of extraordinary ability to measure events, of sharp vision, of courage in running the struggle and leading the confrontation, of devotion in leading the Iraqi people to safety on the secure side of the sea where the sunny future lies," the committee chairman said.
"The committee also recommends asking the political leadership to take whatever steps are necessary to defend Iraq, its pride and dignity and to authorize the leader Saddam Hussein to do whatever he sees as necessary," he said.
Mr. Hussein has in recent weeks being trying to present his government as more democratic — at least in form. He staged a referendum on his leadership, which he won with 100 percent of the vote. He stunned the nation by opening the prison gates last month, allowing virtually all prisoners to go free. Calling the assembly session on this issue adds to that aura.
If there were any doubt about whose vote counts the most in this particular assembly, however, the wall at the front is dominated by a large sepia print of the Iraqi leader.
The fact that Iraq is being pushed by the Arab world to accept the resolution — as well as by states like Russia and France with which Iraq has sought to forge ties — has left Baghdad little room to maneuver.
Many senior Iraqi officials were already anticipating that arms inspections would be getting under way for the first time since 1998, warning that the new inspectors should not adopt the kind of provocative attitude that led to so many crises in the past.
Odai Saddam Hussein distributed a letter to Parliament as it reconvened today recommending acceptance of the United Nations resolution with the condition that Arab members have a greater role. The letter was also distributed to reporters in Baghdad by the Information Ministry.
"We have to agree to the U.N. Security Council resolution with limits on certain points, but not, we say, conditions," the president's son said.
"There should be Arab experts or technicians and monitors who are familiar with the nuclear, chemical and biological side," he said.
Odai Saddam Hussein said acceptance would not necessarily ward off war, and spoke of a call to have Arab countries cut oil supplies to countries that attack Iraq.
"We have to know our enemy and that the U.N. resolution does not mean stopping him from committing military action," he said.
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