United Nations: Expressing apprehension that the United States might launch an
attack on Baghdad without giving them enough time to finish searches, the UN weapons
inspectors said complete inspection of Iraqi installations could provide a peaceful
solution to the crisis.
"It could be that one day they (US) will say, 'Move aside boys, now we are coming
in' – that's possible..." chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said.
"There is a certain momentum in the (military) build-up and that worries a great
many people including myself," he said in an interview to the 'BBC' on January 13.
"But I think a great many people and a great many governments would prefer to have
disarmament through peaceful means," Blix said.
"Yet I have to listen to what the President of the United States says, namely the
use of force is only the method of last resort."
US President George Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair indicated that they
have not set any time-table for war, but media reports suggested that Washington is
increasing its build-up, which could reach more than 300,000 personnel for a
possible attack on Iraq and its occupation till a new government is established.
Blix said the UN inspectors were receiving intelligence inputs from Britain and the
United States and had widened their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
"We have widened our net, as it were. Whether the quality of work improves depends
on how good the intelligence turns out to have been. We are going to test it," Blix
said, adding "They have given us a lot of information... But we need...indications
of where we can go, places we can inspect," he said.
Director general of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Mohamed al Baradei had
said his inspectors would need a few months to complete their work, but it would
depend on the extent Baghdad was willing to co-operate with the UN inspectors.
While noting that there was "lot of work" ahead of the UN team even after January 27
when they file an "update" on the inspections, Blix said the decision on whether the
inspections would continue would depend on the Security Council.
Stressing that Iraq's "active co-operation" was critical to avert a possible war,
Blix, while referring to the military build-up, said Baghdad should recognise
the "seriousness" of the issue.
On the findings of UN inspectors, Blix said, "We have found several cases where it
is clear that Iraq has imported weapons related material in violation of the
prohibitions of the Security Council. Whether these discoveries, these items, are
related to weapons of mass destruction is a matter that still has to be determined."
He cautioned that it would be impossible to give a full guarantee that Iraq had no
banned weapons.
PTI
