A dialogue between Iraq and the U.N. concerning the resumption of weapons inspections in Baghdad could be delayed until February, a U.N. spokesman said on January 3rd.
The discussions between high-level Iraqi and U.N. officials had been slated for January in New York, with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan hoping to begin talks before a planned trip to Asia and Europe on January 15th.
U.N. officials indicated that Baghdad had not yet responded to Annan’s call for a tentative agenda for the meeting, leaving doubts as to whether the discussions can be arranged before his departure.
The proposed talks follow a meeting between Annan and Izzat Ibrahim, vice chairman of Iraq’s Revolutionary Council, during an Islamic conference in Qatar on November 17th.
Baghdad has repeatedly insisted that it has destroyed all weapons of mass destruction and that arms inspectors will not be permitted to return to Baghdad, but Ibrahim agreed to a review of the situation “without preconditions.”
Disarmament work in Iraq has been halted since weapons inspectors left Baghdad in December 1998 before a U.S.-British bombing raid. U.N. Security Council resolutions stipulate that sanctions imposed against Iraq for its 1990 invasion of Kuwait cannot be lifted until weapons inspectors are allowed to return and to certify that all weapons of mass destruction have been destroyed.
Baghdad and the U.N. also continue to be at odds over pricing for Iraqi January crude exports to Europe, with Iraqi oil sales halted for the third consecutive day on January 3rd.
A new tanker reportedly dropped anchor outside the Gulf port of Mina al-Bakr on January 3rd, joining a vessel that has been waiting to load crude for more than a month.
There are no tankers waiting at the Turkish port of Ceyhan after a tanker sailed on December 29th, marking the only December loading from the port. U.N. officials said on January 2nd that Iraq had yet to resubmit its pricing scheme for January sales to Europe, after the sanctions committee had rejected its proposed prices on December 29th.
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
