Chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix said Sunday he saw a beginning of Iraqi understanding that it must seriously observe U.N. demands for disarmament and that he believed further U.N. inspections were preferable to a quick U.S.-led military strike.
"I perceive a beginning," Blix said after two days of talks in Baghdad. "Breakthrough is a strong word for what we are seeing." But he added: "I would much rather see inspections than some other solution."
But Blix said he and U.N. nuclear chief Mohamed ElBaradei did not win immediate agreement on using American U-2 surveillance planes to assist with the inspections.
Blix said he had received assurances that Iraq would expand a commission to search for weapons and weapons programs and "relevant documents nationwide," and that he had hopes that Iraq was taking the disarmament issue seriously.
Asked for comment on Bush's declaration last week that the "game is over," Blix replied, "Well, we are still in the game."
During the two days of meetings, the Iraqi side submitted a number of documents that are still being evaluated. Blix said they related to outstanding issues of anthrax, VX nerve gas and Iraqi missile development. He said those documents would have to be reviewed intensively by U.N. experts in the coming days to determine their value. Blix also said he hoped Iraq would soon enact legislation banning weapons of mass destruction.
According to AP, a senior Iraqi official said Baghdad also gave Blix and ElBaradei additional names of nuclear scientists to supplement the initial list of 400 scientists and others involved in past weapons programs.
Lt. Gen. Amer al-Saadi said Iraq also was studying ways to comply with "the problem" of U-2 surveillance flights, which Iraq had refused to allow unless the United States and Britain suspended patrols in the "no-fly" zones.
He said he hoped the surveillance issue could be resolved before the inspectors make their report to the Security Council on Friday. On the issue of U-2 flights, Blix said he expected the Iraqis to respond by Friday.
ElBaradei said Iraq's cooperation must be "simultaneous in all areas" of the inspection process. "We made it clear to Iraq they need to move on the whole file," meaning all types of weapons of mass destruction, he said.
ElBaradei said he felt, however, that he and Blix had "good technical meetings" during their two days in Baghdad. "I see all this as a beginning of a change of heart, a new attitude that will be tested. Time is of the essence," he said.
Meanwhile, U.S. President Bush reiterated that it was time for action against Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein.
Saddam "wants the world to think that hide-and-seek is a game that we should play. And it's over," Bush said Sunday. "It's a moment of truth for the United Nations. The United Nations gets to decide shortly whether or not it is going to be relevant in terms of keeping the peace, whether or not its words mean anything." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
