U.N. weapons inspection chief begins talks in Baghdad

[UPI]

BEIRUT, Lebanon (UPI) -- U.N. weapons inspection chief Rolf Ekeus
arrived in the Iraqi capital Thursday for negotiations aimed at
resolving the conflict between Baghdad and the United Nations over
monitoring of a missile testing site.
The Iraqi News Agency, monitored in Beirut, said the government of
President Saddam Hussein was hoping the meetings with Ekeus would help
to peacefully resolve the conflict over Iraq's weapons production
program and spare the Arab country another U.S. military strike.
The Baghdad government is hoping to convince the United Nations to
begin lifting the U.N. embargo on Iraq in exchange for any deal for
monitoring the missile sites.
Ekeus, who arrived in Baghdad carrying a Security Council message
ordering Iraq to implement all U.N. resolutions, held talks with Iraqi
Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed Al Sahhaf, INA said.
``It is still not clear whether Ekeus's mission is for dialogue,'' al
Sahhaf told the agency, which said he was referring to U.S. threats and
``public plans for committing another aggression against Iraq and its
installations.''
Sahhaf said Ekeus's visit was agreed upon after some Security Council
members called for solving the dispute ``by peaceful means.''
The new dispute arose over the weekend when Iraq prevented U.N.
weapons inspectors from placing seals on stands for testing missile
rocket motors in two Iraqi sites south of Baghdad. The inspectors left
the country immediately.
The inspectors decided to place the seals as a temporary measure
after Iraq prevented them from setting up remote-controlled cameras to
ensure that the equipment will not be used without U.N. authorization.
``Raising the issue of the camera (monitoring measure) aimed at
torpedoing the dialogue with the U.N.,'' said al Sahhaf.
He said Iraq had fulfilled its obligations under Security Council
Resolution 687 and wanted an end to the U.N. embargo imposed following
Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990.
``But the siege has not yet been lifted because of influential
circles in the Security Council, particularly the United States,
blocking the move, and this is the main problem,'' the official said.
In a separate dispatch, INA said Iraqi President Saddam Hussein will
give an important speech on Saturday to mark the 25th anniversary of the
1968 coup d'etat which returned the ruling Arab Baath party to power.
The agency said Hussein's ``historical'' speech will be broadcast on
all Iraqi media networks.
On July 1968, Gen. Ahmed Hassan al Bakr led a bloodless coup d'etat
which returned the Baath party to power.
Al Bakr remained Iraq's President until he resigned on July 16, 1979,
for health reasons. Saddam Hussein immediately succeeded him.