[A-List] US imperialism: Iraq

["Michael Keaney" <michael.keaney@xxxxxx>]

US plans rejected by France and Russia
White House warns UN that time is running out, writes DEBORAH SUMMERS
The Herald, 23 October 2002

AMERICA'S impatience with the UN became evident last night as Russia and
France rejected proposals aimed at ending a month-long deadlock over Iraqi
weapons inspections.

Colin Powell, US secretary of state, telephoned Igor Ivanov, Russian foreign
minister, to discuss the issue but a White House spokesman warned that time
was running out.

"We will continue to work in the United Nations," the spokesman said. "It's
coming down to the end . . . the United Nations does not have forever."

However, Mr Ivanov argued that the proposed resolution did not measure up.
"The American draft resolution, which was presented (on Monday), does not,
for the moment, meet the criteria which the Russian side had previously
outlined and stands by now," he said.

Washington faces a wall of opposition for threatening to attack Iraq - with
or without UN support - and for seeking a "regime change" in Baghdad. It
says Iraq has amassed an arsenal of weapons of mass destruction and
threatens world security, a charge Baghdad denies.

French diplomats said they thought the latest US effort to reach a consensus
was not enough to win unanimous support because it contradicted an agreement
struck between Hans Blix, UN chief arms inspector, and Iraq on the return of
inspectors. They said one objection was that the US still wanted some sort
of military guard for the inspectors, even if only at UN offices.

President George Bush said America was willing to give diplomacy a chance
and he indicated on Monday he might budge on the controversial goal of
ousting Saddam.

The revised US proposal substituted a warning of "serious consequences" for
the automatic use of force if Baghdad impeded weapons inspections.

It also established a timetable for Saddam Hussein to agree to comply with
the resolution and list the weapons Iraq possesses, and requested a report
from arms experts before any military strike, possibly pushing back any US
military action against Iraq.

However, it retained language saying Baghdad was in "material breach" of the
UN resolutions established after the 1991 Gulf war and would be in further
material breach if it violated the new measures. Critics say that language
could be used as a trigger for a military strike.

Turkey, which has allowed American use of an air base to patrol "no-fly"
zones in Iraq and is seen as a key player in any US-led attack on Baghdad,
criticised Washington for sending conflicting messages.

"On the one hand, they are continuously giving an impression of a military
action. On the other hand, they are saying 'An intervention may not happen,
we have not yet made a decision'," said Bulent Ecevit, Turkish prime
minister.

George Robertson, Nato secretary-general, said yesterday that international
co-operation was essential if nations were to successfully confront Saddam
and the global terrorist threat.