AMBASSADOR RICHARDSON FINDS REPORTS ON IRAQ "DISCOURAGING"

[USIA]

USIS Washington File

22 January 1998

AMBASSADOR RICHARDSON FINDS REPORTS ON IRAQ "DISCOURAGING"

(Reports dash hopes for better cooperation from Iraq) (720)
By Judy Aita
USIA United Nations Correspondent

United Nations -- U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Bill
Richardson said January 22 that reports from the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) and news from Baghdad on the results of talks
between Iraqi officials and the U.N. Special Commission overseeing the
destruction of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq are not encouraging
to those who want to see improved cooperation from Iraq and an end to
the oil embargo.

"We've heard a very disturbing preliminary report from the IAEA and in
our judgment there is no justification for closing the nuclear file
that the Iraqis want and that some in the Security Council suggested,"
Richardson said after a private Council meeting with IAEA officials.

"The pattern of concealment, of obfuscation, of withholding
information in (the nuclear weapons) area was very apparent in the
report today. As it appears to be with Ambassador Butler," the U.S.
Ambassador to the U.N. said.

The IAEA is responsible for overseeing the destruction of Iraq's
nuclear weapons capabilities while the Special Commission (UNSCOM)
concentrates on Iraq's other programs that have been banned as part of
the Gulf War cease-fire agreement.

The Chairman of UNSCOM, Ambassador Richard Butler, held three meetings
with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz January 19-21 to discuss
various aspects of UNSCOM's work, especially the question of U.N.
weapons's inspectors full and unconditional access to "presidential
and sensitive" sites.

Butler is scheduled to brief the U.N. Security Council on the results
of his mission on January 23. Nevertheless, press reports from Baghdad
have indicated that Iraq did not agree to open sensitive sites to the
U.N. inspectors and will not discuss the issue until April. Iraq also
wants a deadline set for closing the files on the country's chemical,
biological, ballistic and nuclear weapons. When UNSCOM declares that
it has all the information on the Iraqi weapons programs, i.e.
"closing the files," the oil embargo on Iraq would be lifted by the
Security Council.

China announced after the meeting with IAEA officials that the nuclear
files should be closed.

Richardson has characterized Butler's mission as "a very important
trip" and "a key visit that will determine the course of action of the
Security Council."

Talking with journalists January 22 Richardson said that "the early
indications of the Butler mission are discouraging."

"Our patience is wearing thin, but we will reserve judgment on where
we go from here until we get the report (from Butler), but so far it's
very disturbing news," Richardson said.

The IAEA report submitted to the Council said that "Iraq's statements
that its clandestine nuclear program had effectively ceased in January
1991 and had been abandoned in April 1991 are inconsistent with
actions taken to conceal and retain program-related documentation,
materials, and equipment, until at least August 1995."

IAEA "will continue to exercise its right to investigate any aspect of
Iraq's clandestine nuclear program, in particular through the
follow-up of any new information..." In the meantime, the agency said,
it is focusing on strengthening the long-term monitoring of sites in
Iraq that could be used to develop nuclear weapons in the future.

While the agency will not investigate further the allegations of a
foreign offer to help Iraq with nuclear weapons in 1990, IAEA said,
"Iraq's direct acquisition of weapon-usable nuclear material or
nuclear weapons-related technology will, however, continue to be a
matter of major concern to IAEA and high priority will continue to be
given to the investigation of any indication of such acquisition."

IAEA said it has not been possible to confirm independently the
veracity of Iraq's statement that it took no action to follow up on
the offer of help or on any similar offer, the report said.

The agency also said that it is difficult to understand Iraq's
"apparent lack of focus" at a critical stage of Iraq's weaponization
development in July 1990.

IAEA's ongoing monitoring and verification plan "is predicated on the
assumption that Iraq retains the technical capability to exploit, for
nuclear weapons purposes, any relevant material to which it might gain
access," the report said.