UNSCOM HEAD SET TO DISCUSS SITE ACCESS WITH IRAQI OFFICIALS
USIA
USIS Washington File
20 January 1998
UNSCOM HEAD SET TO DISCUSS SITE ACCESS WITH IRAQI OFFICIALS
(Richardson: Key visit to determine course for UNSC) (530)
By Judy Aita
USIA United Nations Correspondent
United Nations -- The head of the U.N. Special Commission overseeing
the destruction of Iraq's weapons (UNSCOM) was scheduled to hold his
third, and probably most important, meeting with Iraqi Deputy Prime
Minister Tariq Aziz January 20 in Baghdad.
Ambassador Richard Butler, UNSCOM chairman was set to meet with Tariq
Aziz in the evening to discuss the question of U.N. weapons's
inspectors full and unconditional access to sites throughout Iraq. The
issue has caused several stand-offs between Iraqi officials and UNSCOM
and prompted the U.N. Security Council to declare Iraq in violation of
the Gulf War cease-fire demands.
U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson characterized Butler's mission as "a
very important trip."
"This is a threshold, this is a key visit that will determine the
course of action of the Security Council," Richardson said.
Before leaving for Baghdad Butler told journalists that the main issue
during his visit will be "those of access -- presidential and
sovereign sites, but now the question of Baghdad's insistence to
remove from our teams certain inspectors on the basis of their
nationality."
"That's not acceptable to us and I'm sure that's not acceptable to the
Council," Butler said.
U.N. spokesman Fred Eckhard said during a regular briefing at U.N.
headquarters January 20 that Butler also indicated that "he would be
seeking clarification from the deputy prime minister on Iraq's
statement over the weekend that they intended to set a deadline for
the work of UNSCOM unless the sanctions are lifted."
Tariq Aziz indicated that he would address the question of access at
an evening meeting on January 20, Eckhard said.
Butler met with Tariq Aziz January 19 for approximately three hours
and again on the morning of January 20 for about two and a half hours.
"In the first two meetings they discussed procedures for the technical
evaluation meetings in the areas of missile warheads, chemical and
biological weapons," the spokesman said. "They agreed that the
technical meeting on missile warheads -- on the first of February (in
Baghdad) -- will be followed shortly afterwards by the technical
meeting on chemical weapons particularly (the chemical warfare agent)
VX."
Butler told the Iraqi official that technical experts from China,
France, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom and the United States
would participate in those meetings, Eckhard said.
"In the first two meetings Iraq did not provide any new information
which UNSCOM could use to verify Iraq's full, complete, and final
declarations on weapons of mass destruction," Eckhard said.
Richardson said that the Security Council is expecting a briefing from
Butler on the results of his meetings with Tariq Aziz on the morning
of January 23 at U.N. headquarters in New York.
Richardson withheld judgment on Butler's meetings until he receives
the complete briefing from the UNSCOM chairman.
Nevertheless, Richardson said that "Saddam Hussein made some pretty
belligerent statements that we found unacceptable. He's in no position
to set demands....It must be that he feels desperate."