BBC News Online: World

UN envoy in Iraq for weapons talks

Richard Butler flew into the Iraqi capital for a four-day visit including high-level talks with Iraqi officials beginning on Sunday.

Although all members of the United Nations Special Commission, Unscom, led by Mr Butler have returned to Iraq, they are still prohibited from entering many areas.

These include President Saddam Hussein's many palaces, the row over which sparked the expulsion of Americans in the Unscom team and drew the threat of air and missile strikes by the United States and Britain.

Mr Butler said: "We can't come to the conclusions we need to help the Iraqi people have a normal life until we have full access [to suspected weapons storage sites].

"So we'll be talking in Baghdad about getting that access but in a way that shows respect for Iraqi national security and for some of the places where the President and his entourage live."

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, who was visiting the Kuwait-Iraqi border on Friday morning, said the UN may extend the oil-for-food exemption to the sanctions imposed on the Gulf state.

"We are reviewing the scheme. We are going to make it much more effective and much more efficient ... including the possibility of increasing the volume of oil sold," he told reporters and border officials.

But indications from senior Iraqi officials are that even with such gestures of goodwill Mr Butler will leave Iraq with no progress made on Unscom access to presidential palaces.

The Iraqi Vice-President, Taha Yassin Ramadan, said: "If Mr Butler asks during his visit for his experts to enter presidential sites, we can answer him in advance that his request is rejected."

Mr Butler was attacked on the day of his arrival in the official Ath-Thawra newspaper, which called him a "liar who does not know the limits of his office."

Anger also remains because of the Unscom's recent inspection of an Iraqi nursery.

Unscom believes nerve gas stockpiles remain

Mr Butler, who flew in from the Gulf state of Bahrain, is accompanied by an 11-man team.

Under the terms of the cease-fire which ended the Gulf war in 1991, the UN is charged with dismantling all of Iraq's nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and any missiles with a range greater than 100km.

It is also meant to put in place a monitoring system to ensure Iraq does not try to rebuild weapons of mass destruction.

There have been reports that Iraq has secret stockpiles of deadly VX nerve gas.

The UN also wants to continue its investigations of Iraq's biological weapons programme and discuss missile warheads which it cannot account for.

Relevant Stories

UN call to Iraq over access to possible weapons sites (10 Dec 97 | World)
Iraqi press attacks weapons inspectors (04 Dec 97 | World)
New confrontation looms over Iraqi palace offer (27 Nov 97 | World)
Iraq says it has no nerve gas (26 Nov 97 | World)
US spy plane back over Iraq (24 Nov 97 | Despatches)

Internet Links

United Nations
Iraq Net
Iraq Foundation

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external internet sites.

Summaries

In this section

EU agrees major expansion
Basque violence triggers street protest
Iraq says solution no closer
'The Lord was my co-pilot'
Violent clashes mar Protestant parade
Korean candidates vow to honour IMF deal (From Business
)
Milestone world trade agreement (From Business
)
The Rape of Nanking - 60 years on
US envoy to investigate massacre
Last rites at mass cremation in Thailand
Yeltsin getting better (From Despatches
)
TWA hearing recommends fuel switch
Britons abducted in Chechnya reported safe
Lockerbie relatives fight Libya in court
Jackal goes on trial
Louise Woodward refused permission to travel
Judge rules against Microsoft browser plans (From Sci/Tech
)
EU deal over single currency club
Heathrow returning to normal after blaze
Kremlin denies Yeltsin in poor health
South Korean bank aims to plug leaking economy (From Business
)
Power surge for Net access (From Sci/Tech
)
Israeli press mauls Mrs Netanyahu (From Despatches
)
High Number of Spoiled Votes in Chile Election

World Contents

• Middle East
• Africa
• Europe
• Americas
• From Our Own Correspondent
• Letter From America
• Analysis
• Monitoring
• Asia-Pacific
• S/W Asia