United Nations: The United States appeared to be moving closer to a military action
against Iraq with chief weapons inspector Hans Blix bolstering its case by
contending Baghdad had not fully disclosed its chemical and biological arms as also
long range missile programmes and did not account for precursors, which it claimed
it destroyed.
"Iraq appears not to have come to genuine acceptance, not even today, of the
disarmament that was demanded of it," he told the Security Council two months after
inspections began after a four-year break.
In a sharpest yet criticism of Iraq, Blix said it had not produced proof that it
destroyed stocks of anthrax, there was evidence it had not destroyed stocks of VX
nerve gas and it did not account for more than 300 rocket engines and 6,500 chemical
weapons in which chemical agent would be of the order of about 1,000 tonnes.
There are gaps in the 12,000-page declaration on the status of its weapons of mass
destruction provided by Iraq and it was blocking private interviews with scientists,
he said.
But he said he could not give verdict one way or the other on whether Iraq has
rebuilt weapons of mass destruction. However, he did say that Iraq has test fired
two new types of missiles with a range longer than 150 kms allowed under the Council
resolution.
"We have asked Iraq to cease flight test of both." Iraq had claimed that
their "final range" is less than 150 kms.
The reports by Blix and Director-General of International Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) Mohammad el Baradei on January 27 immediately prompted warnings by the United
States that time is running out for President Saddam Hussain.
But Russia, France, China and Germany called for more time for inspectors to enable
them to finish their job. While el Baradei had asked for more time, Blix did not
explicitly refer to it.
The inspectors would present another report on February 14 nearer the deadline for
military action being predicted by analysts.
In Washington, American Secretary of State Colin Powell warned that Iraq has not
much more time left and virtually rejected the demand that inspectors be given more
time.
"The issue is not how much more time inspectors need to search in dark, it is how
much more time Iraq should be given to turn on the lights and come clean. Iraq's
time for choosing peaceful disarmament is fast coming to an end," he warned.
But Iraq's United Nations Ambassador Mohammed Aldouri asserted that his government
had declared everything and rejected suggestions that it has hidden prohibited
weapons.
Diplomats said US and Britain are consulting on a resolution that would either call
for use of force or give a sort of ultimatum to Iraq based on Blix's report.
However, Washington would agree to move it only if it has sufficient
support for the resolution to be adopted.
For adoption, a resolution requires nine votes and no veto. Council diplomats do not
except veto from Russia, France and China despite their tough talk but are not sure
whether the United States has the requisite nine votes as yet.
El Baradei, whose teams search for nuclear weapons, said his inspectors have no
evidence that Iraq resumed its nuclear weapons programme, which it discontinued in
1990. But he wanted "a few more months", saying that would be an investment in
peace.
PTI
