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Dear casi-discuss subscribers,
Below are three news items which relate to Iraq's decision made earlier
today to halt all dealings with the UNSCOM inspectors (previously they had
allowed monitoring operations to continue).
Apologies for the lack of news items on this list over the last month.
During this weekend I will send out a selection of items relating to
events over last month, so don't panic if today and tomorrow you get
rather more messages from this list than you were expecting!
best wishes, Seb
P.S. Don't forget to see below...
________________________________________________________________________
Iraq Halts Dealings with Inspectors
Saturday, October 31, 1998; 7:31 a.m. EST
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- Iraq announced today it is
halting all dealings with U.N. arms inspectors, who are
charged with investigating the country's weapons of
mass destruction.
The decision came after a meeting between Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein, his top advisers and leaders
of his ruling Baath Party.
Iraq said its action reflected its displeasure with
Friday's decision by the U.N. Security Council to
review Iraq's compliance with U.N. resolutions -- but
without the guarantee that Iraq had demanded that this
would lead to a lifting of trade sanctions.
However, Iraq said the International Atomic Energy
Agency will be allowed to continue monitoring
compliance on its nuclear program.
The sanctions, imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of
Kuwait, cannot be lifted until the U.N. Special
Commission certifies that Iraq has eliminated its
biological and chemical weapons and long-range
missiles.
Iraq's action today was the latest salvo in an ongoing
dipute with Western powers over the inspections.
``The joint meeting decided to halt all kinds of
dealings with the Special Commission and its chief and
stop all their activities inside Iraq, including the
monitoring, starting from today,'' a government
statement said.
The action is the latest step Iraq has taken to reduce
cooperation with the United Nation.
Earlier this year, Iraq backed down and permitted
inspections under threat of a U.S. attack. On Aug. 5,
Iraq suspended inspections by both the Special
Commission and the nuclear teams that were searching
for new sites that might contain illegal weapons.
However, inspection teams were allowed to conduct other
activities.
Today's statement demanded that in future any material
collected by the Vienna-based IAEA be kept separate
from weapons inspectors.
It also urged the Security Council to fire inspections
chief Richard Butler, whom Iraq has repeatedly accused
of working on behalf of the United States to prolong
the trade sanctions.
The statement by the Iraqi leadership said that its
decision to halt cooperation would hold ``until the
United Nations looks at the issue in an honest and
positive way, leading to Iraq's rights to the lifting
of the unjust sanctions.''
Iraq has repeatedly said the U.N. teams included too
many Americans and Britons and accused some of being
spies.
On Friday, the Security Council had agreed on the broad
outlines of a review of Iraq's compliance with U.N.
resolutions.
The decision ignored Russian and Chinese support for
Iraqi demands that the review must lead to the lifting
of the sanctions, which bar the export of Iraq's main
commodity, oil.
Diplomats said that even if the council ultimately
determines that Iraq has fully complied with all U.N.
resolutions, a separate review of sanctions would need
to be held by the council.
In periodic reviews since 1990, the council has
maintained sanctions in light of evidence that Iraq
continues to conceal elements of its weapons programs,
most recently biological weapons.
(c) Copyright 1998 The Associated Press
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Saturday October 31 11:47 AM EDT
U.N. Council Calls Emergency Session On Iraq
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. Security Council called an emergency
session for Saturday afternoon to discuss Iraq's announcement it was halting
all dealings with most U.N. arms inspectors.
U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said closed door council consultations will
begin at 4 p.m. EST.
Iraq announced Saturday it was breaking ties with the U.N. special
commission (UNSCOM) in charge of dismantling its biological, chemical and
ballistic weapons.
The decision was made at a meeting led by President Saddam Hussein.
Iraq on Aug. 5 had already barred UNSCOM from inspecting new sites but it
had allowed a crucial monitoring program to continue. The new decision also
ends the monitors' work, which includes maintaining cameras to make sure
Iraq does not reacquire weapons of mass destruction.
UNSCOM's executive chairman Richard Butler, the main focus of Iraq's latest
attacks, is in California and will be heading to the United Nations shortly.
His deputy, Charles Duelfer, has called a telephone conference with UNSCOM
staff in Baghdad.
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Source: Laurie Mylroie <sam11@erols.com>
Organization: Information for Democracy
Oct. 31, 1998
Text of Iraqi Statement Announcing Suspension of Monitoring (AP, oct. 31)
Lifting sanctions is a great national humanitarian mission.
Iraq has dealt with the Security Council resolutions since they were
issued and complied with all related resolutions, although they
were unjust.
But this bitter experience, which lasted eight years, has proved that
America and its agents are controlling issues connected to this
problem, moving it with a clear target that is harming Iraq and the Arab
nation.
Iraq has been tolerant, patient, dealt diplomatically with all
attempts and communications which were supposed to lead to the lifting
of sanctions. But the sanctions were not lifted.
Events this year have exposed two additional dangerous facts. The
first is the American lies about the presidential sites, which almost
led to a destructive war.
The second is the dirty game that was played by the Special Commission
and its head in cooperation with America about the VX claims. When the
truth came out through neutral laboratories in France and Switzerland,
the head of the commission did not admit the fact but kept requesting of
Iraq more explanations with the intention of prolonging and misleading.
No act was taken against (UNSCOM chief Richard) Butler, which should
have been taken because of his lies and playing with facts.
Iraq was disappointed because lifting of the sanctions didn't go in a
normal fashion. The latest of these is what happened lately at the
Security Council under clear pressure from America to reject Iraq's
rights in explaining its compliance in the implementation of
Security Council Resolutions, especially Paragraph C from Resolution
687, which is supposed to lead to the lifting of sanctions.
Until the U.N. looks at the issue in an honest and positive way
leading to Iraq's right to the lifting of the unjust sanctions, and
until the U.N. takes firm measures by firing the president of the
Special Commission, Butler, and the reconstruction of the Special
Commission to make it a neutral and professional and international
organization distant from spying and intentionally harming (Iraq)
and serving America, the meeting decides:
The joint meeting decided to halt all kinds of dealings with the
Special Commission and its chief and stop all their activities inside
Iraq, including the monitoring starting from today.
This does not include the International Atomic Energy Agency. They can
continue their monitoring work as per the leadership decision on Aug. 5
as long as these activities are done independently of the Special
Commission.
--
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