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Monday, 27 January, 2003, 22:45 GMT
Iraq must do more, UN told
![]() Inspectors have now been in Iraq for two months
Iraq has complied with United Nations demands only reluctantly and may still possess biological weapons and rockets, the chief UN weapons inspector has said.
Hans Blix was sharply critical of the Baghdad government in his keenly-awaited report to the 15-member Security Council on Monday. "Iraq appears not to have come to a genuine acceptance - not even today - of the disarmament which was demanded of it," he said.
He told reporters that there was "not much more time" for Iraq to comply with UN resolutions demanding that it disarm. "Iraq's refusal to disarm still threatens international peace and security," he said. Its opportunity to do so peacefully is "fast coming to an end", he added. But Iraq's Ambassador to the UN, Mohammed al-Douri, said Iraq had "opened all doors to Mr Blix and his team".
No evidence The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency said his inspectors had found no evidence that Iraq had resumed the nuclear programme it discontinued in the early 1990s. But Mohamed ElBaradei said the inspectors needed "a few months" to continue their work, describing this as "a valuable investment in peace". In his report, Mr Blix said Iraq had largely given inspectors prompt access to suspected weapons sites. But he highlighted a number of outstanding concerns:
Monday's assessment will have a direct bearing on whether the UN moves to sanction military action against Iraq. Possible trigger Washington and London have indicated that any failure of compliance with UN resolutions demanding Iraqi disarmament could be a trigger for war. Other key Council members say the inspections should be allowed to continue.
Mr Blix told the Security Council that Iraq had "decided in principle to co-operate on [the] process, notably access" to sites the inspectors wanted to visit. But he said Baghdad did not seem to be co-operating on the "substance" of the resolution. He also said there had been some "disturbing" harassment of inspectors. Pressure Mr Blix did not specifically ask for more time to carry out inspections, saying he was aware there was a "sense of urgency".
Speaking before the reports were submitted, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said the inspectors should be given more time to complete their work.
The United States has made it clear it would be prepared to go to war without UN backing, if necessary. Britain backs Washington on the issue of Iraq. But France, Russia and China - the other permanent, veto-wielding members of the Council - want the inspectors to be given more time to complete their task. George W Bush is meanwhile preparing to deliver his annual State of the Union speech on Tuesday, in which he will again seek international support for action against Iraq, and counter the apparently growing doubts of the US public.
The US president will then meet UK Prime Minister Tony Blair on 31 January, for talks which some analysts have already dubbed a council of war.
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See also:
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27 Jan 03 | Middle East
27 Jan 03 | Middle East
24 Jan 03 | Middle East
19 Nov 02 | Middle East
27 Jan 03 | Middle East
27 Jan 03 | Americas
27 Jan 03 | Middle East
27 Jan 03 | Americas
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