Iraq Urged Reveal Arms; Inspections Start Nov 27

16/11/2002| IslamWeb

Declaring spot inspections would begin on Nov. 27, chief U.N. arms inspector Hans Blix warned President Saddam Hussein on Friday to disclose all his weapons of mass destruction in a report next month. "This offers a last opportunity for Iraq to declare what they have," Blix told a news conference on the eve of his trip to Baghdad. "An omission can be very serious."

Iraq, under a new Security Council resolution 1441, adopted Nov. 8, has to give a "full, accurate and complete" declaration of all its programs and materiel that can be used to develop chemical, biological and nuclear arms, and ballistic missiles. The declaration is due on Dec. 8.

Iraq has said repeatedly it has no weapons of mass destruction. But Blix said Baghdad had often changed its position in the past and now had time "to examine their archives and their stores and their stocks and determine whether there is something or not."

The resolution says any false information in the declaration and noncooperation with weapons inspectors would constitute a "material breach" -- legal terminology that could trigger a U.S. attack against Baghdad.

The measure, which gives inspectors new rights, says Blix has to report any serious violation to the council, which would assess it before anyone could take military action. But some U.S. officials would like to report violations themselves, without verification by Blix.

Blix, however, said that if the United States or any other country had evidence, it had to tell the council.

"If others have evidence, then that would be the time to present it ... put it on the table, he said."

He said that when inspectors were last in Iraq, between 1992 and 1998, the concept was that Iraq would make a declaration and the inspectors would verify it. "Some said this developed into 'they hide, we seek'," Blix said.

President Bush will seek solidarity from fellow NATO members to support firm action on Iraq during a Prague summit next week. National security adviser Condoleezza Rice said Bush wanted to hear from allies "what they are prepared to do and what they can do."

Washington had hoped Iraqi exiles could form an alternative government to replace Saddam, should it go ahead with plans to overthrow him. So far six opposition parties have failed to organize themselves and in London, representatives of rival Kurdish parties have set two different dates for meetings.

Blix and his counterpart from the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, are going to Baghdad on Monday with a team of technicians. They will set up offices, communications and transport to "make sure the pigeons that have broken through the windows have been cleaned out" and "to initiate this new chapter of inspections," Blix said.

PHOTO CAPTION

Hans Blix, Executive Chairman of the United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) speaks at a briefing at United Nations headquarters in New York, November 15, 2002. Blix will head the upcoming U.N. weapons inspections in Iraq. REUTERS/Mike Segar
- Nov 15 1:32 PM