German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder demanded on Wednesday, the return of UN Inspectors to Iraq in order to search for weapons of mass destruction, the Die Zeit weekly reported in its latest edition.
Schroeder was quoted as saying that the return of the inspectors coincides with Iraq’s obligations to honor the UN resolutions following Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait back in 1990.
Regarding equipping the German Brigade present in the Gulf region and specializing in detecting weapons of mass destruction using the “fuchs” tanks and whether this was an indication of an imminent strike on Baghdad, Schroeder claimed that the tanks had been ordered last November and approved in the framework of a force to fight international terrorism under the guidance of the United States.
As far as he knew, he added, “There are no sure plans that the US will launch an attack on Iraq”.
Meanwhile, Rudolf Scharping, German Defense Minister called upon China and Russia to exert pressure on Iraq via the UN to permit the return of UN inspectors of mass destruction to the country, according to an interview held with him in Der Stern weekly. (Albawaba.com)
