[A-List] US imperialism: Iraq

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

Annan in conflict with US over Iraq
Anti-aircraft fire 'no violation'

CATHERINE MacLEOD
The Herald, 20 November 2002

THE secretary-general of the United Nations yesterday contradicted US
contentions that any violation of the no-fly zones over Iraq breached a UN
security council resolution.

Kofi Annan spoke out publicly during a visit to Yugoslavia, saying Iraq's
attempts to shoot down US and British aircraft over the flight exclusion
zone was not a violation of the tough UN resolution.

He told reporters: "Let me say that I don't think the council will say that
this is in contravention of the resolution that was recently passed."

Mr Annan also appealed for the UN weapons inspectors in Iraq to be given the
chance to make the resolution work.

Earlier the United States, which is already suspected of trying to undermine
the work of the inspectors in Baghdad, insisted the Iraqis were in breach of
the agreement.

This was reiterated on Monday when Scott McClellan, a White House spokesman,
said that Iraqi anti-aircraft fire "appears to be a violation" of the
November 8 resolution.

Significantly Britain has aligned itself with the secretary-general, leaving
the US isolated within the security council.

A Foreign Office source yesterday reaffirmed that Britain sought other
justifications under international law for the zones, but the new resolution
was not one of them. "We're already on the record as saying threats against
our aircraft would not be a material breach of that resolution," he said.

None of the other 14 members of the security council believe the zones are
included in the resolution, much less a possible cause for a violation.

For the moment, security council members are saying little but they have not
silenced the critics in Washington.

Diplomats say the issue would not be raised until the US brought the
violation to the council, which no-one expected Washington to do for the
time being. "But if the Iraqis shoot one down, it could be a new ball game
altogether," said one western diplomat.

Last night it emerged Iraqi officials had agreed to publish a full account
of the country's weapons programmes by December 8 after a meeting with
Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The Iraqi regime is obliged to comply with the security council resolution,
which imposed a December 8 deadline for a full account of all banned weapons
programmes. The next deadline is January 27, the date by which the
inspectors must have given their first report to the security council.

Naji Sabri, Iraq's foreign minister, confirmed they were prepared to produce
a declaration covering biological, nuclear, and chemical weapons.

He said: "We had very useful and constructive discussions both with Dr Blix
and Dr Mohamed ElBaradei and we have touched upon questions of immediate
concern regarding the forthcoming inspections in order to avoid any problems
or misunderstandings about those things."