NATO Allies Back UN Disarming of Iraq

21/11/2002| IslamWeb

NATO members agreed on Thursday to back U.N. efforts to disarm Iraq but the 19-nation defense alliance, divided over the prospect of an eventual conflict, stopped well short of suggesting any collective action. "NATO allies stand united in their commitment to take effective action to assist and support the efforts of the UN to ensure full and immediate compliance by Iraq, without conditions or restrictions, of UNSCR 1441," an alliance communiqué issued at a summit in Prague said.

"We recall that the Security Council in this resolution has warned Iraq it will face serious consequences as a result of its continued violation of its obligations."

UNSCR 1441 is the Security Council resolution that sent arms inspectors back to Iraq this week after an absence of four years.

The United States had been pushing NATO to issue a strong statement of support for its efforts to disarm Iraq but opposition from some allies watered down the final wording of the declaration.

"There was a good deal of testing the waters before it got down to drafting. The basic thing is the United States made a great effort to ensure this would not prove a divisive issue during the summit," a NATO diplomat said.

He said stronger language had been an option but there had been agreement that this could have risked acrimony and division.

President Bush's quest for allied backing for the threat of war against Iraq if it does not rid itself of its alleged weapons of mass destruction overshadowed NATO's summit.

The U.S. leader raised the stakes with President Saddam Hussein on Wednesday by warning that if he declared to the United Nations on December 8 that Iraq had no nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, "he will have entered his final stage with a lie, and deception this time will not be tolerated."

British Prime Minister Tony Blair said after a pre-summit meeting with Bush that NATO was united on the need for Saddam to disarm "and how that happens is a choice for him."

Bush used the NATO meeting to seek recruits for a U.S.-led "coalition of the willing" to force Iraq to disarm if U.N. weapons inspections were unable to do the job. The White House said U.S. ambassadors had approached about 50 countries asking for contributions from combat troops to reconstruction aid.

PHOTO CAPTION

French President Jacques Chirac, left, speaks with President Bush , during a dinner to honor outgoing Czech President Vaclav Havel at Prague Castle, Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2002. NATO leaders are in Prague to attend the NATO summit which begins Thursday. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebour