 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 4 -10 February 1999 Issue No. 415 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
 |
 |
|
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 4 -10 February 1999 Issue No. 415
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
|
|
|
Egypt Region International Book Fair Economy Opinion Culture Features Living Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Maintaining the stranglehold
By agreeing to set up three panels to review Iraq's relations with the United Nations, the Security Council was hoping it could finally devise a plan that would convince Iraq to resume cooperation with the UN weapons inspectors and bring an end to economic sanctions imposed on the country after the 1990 invasion of Kuwait.
Iraqi President Saddam Hussein chairing a top leadership meeting on Sunday
(photo: AFP)
The agreement calls for the panels to make recommendations to the council by 15 April on re-establishing an effective disarmament programme in Iraq, improving the humanitarian situation in the country, reimbursing Kuwait for property looted during the eight-month occupation and returning abducted Kuwaitis.
But the move, unanimously agreed by council members, was immediately rejected by President Saddam Hussein's government as yet another attempt by the council to maintain the embargo. "The work of the three panels will take several months," an official statement issued after a meeting of the Iraqi leadership, chaired by Saddam, said. "This means nothing but more delay and procrastination... Therefore, this measure is not our concern."
However, the formation of the committees was described as a modest step to break the diplomatic stalemate over Iraq. It was the first agreement by the largely divided council on Iraq since US and British air strikes pounded the country in mid-December. Under its terms the three groups should assess and recommend future action in view of Iraq's declaration last month that UN weapons inspectors will not be allowed back.
Although council members have given general support to the panels, they remain divided on the role of the UN Special Commission on Iraq's disarmament, known as UNSCOM. The question is whether to allow UNSCOM to participate on the panel of experts that would carry out the assessment as well as make recommendations on how to proceed with monitoring Iraq's weapons programmes.
The agreement, which is not a legally binding resolution or even a weighty presidential statement, includes UNSCOM's participation in the panel, but the organisation would not enjoy the same key role it has had over the past eight years in monitoring and destroying Iraq's biological and chemical weapons programmes and its long-range missiles.
During often hectic discussions which led to the agreement, the United States wanted UNSCOM and its chairman, Richard Butler, to play a prominent role on the panel. Russia and China objected and insisted on minimising his influence which they have openly criticised as being dishonest and provocative.
Moscow, which led the battle against Butler inside the council, called for his dismissal after accusing him of issuing a biased report on Iraqi cooperation with weapons inspections that sparked the air strikes. It was also angered by his published comments that Russia's UN Ambassador Sergey Lavrov made false statements to the council.
The council must now show how this new mechanism will work to ensure that Baghdad doesn't resume building its banned weapons. The reassessment period appears unrealistic in view of past experience. UNSCOM has consistently said verification could take months, if not years. On the other hand, by adding the humanitarian issues and the fate of missing Kuwaitis to the assessment of the weapons programmes, the council might be making the lifting of sanctions an even harder case for Iraq.
As for Iraq, it seemed unswayed by the new plan which it interpreted as an attempt to circumvent its strategy of gathering international support for lifting the sanctions. Baghdad also repeated its demands that any effort by the council should lead to lifting the embargo immediately.
"Iraq's position is that it wants the council to condemn the aggression, halt it, have its sovereignty and national security respected, refrain from interfering in its internal affairs and lift the blockade immediately and unconditionally," the statement said.
Meanwhile, clashes with the United States and Britain over the no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq intensified this week as the Iraqi leader showed he was ready to take risks to get the sanctions lifted. On Monday, Saddam announced a 25 million Iraqi dinar ($13,000) reward for any air defense man who downs a US or British aircraft. According to state-run Iraqi newspapers, 10 million dinars will also be awarded to any soldier who captures an American or British pilot after downing his aircraft.
If Iraq sticks to its position of defiance and non-compliance -- and all signs indicate it will -- one doesn't need a crystal ball to foresee what the panel's recommendations will be on 15 April.
