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Russia, China support Iraq
02/10/2002 17:08 - (SA)
Ankara - Iraq won backing from Russia and China on Wednesday in rejecting US calls for a new UN resolution to tighten the conditions on weapons inspections, after agreeing on terms for a new mission by the inspectors.
At a press conference in the Turkish capital, Iraqi Deputy Prime
Minister Tareq Aziz also said Iraq would not attack any nations in the region if the United States goes ahead with a strike against it.
"We are not going to retaliate against anybody in the region
except the American aggressor who violates our territory," Aziz said.
Israel in particular fears Iraqi missile strikes if US President
George W Bush opts for war to pursue his aim of ousting his Iraqi
counterpart, Saddam Hussein, and ensuring Baghdad has no weapons of mass destruction.
Aziz rejected a US call for a new UN Security Council resolution
on weapons inspections in Iraq, after Iraq and the United Nations
reached a deal in Vienna on the resumption of inspections based on previous resolutions.
US's pretext
"This proposal of the United States is unacceptable," he said.
"The question of mass destruction weapons raised by the American
state and Britain is a pretext to justify the unjustifiable
aggression on Iraq.
"There is no need for a resolution. The standing resolutions
of the Security Council concerning the inspections are valid and
they are enough for the perfect performance of the inspectors in
their job," Aziz said.
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix announced the deal on
Tuesday. Inspectors were pulled out four years ago amid deadlock
over the carrying out of their checks, and Blix said that, as
before, there would be restrictions on entering eight "presidential sites".
Iraqi delegation chief Amir El-Sadi said he expected weapons
inspectors in Baghdad within two weeks.
Blix was to report on the talks to the Security Council on
Thursday, and said he hoped inspectors would arrive "about the
middle of October".
Powell rejects the deal
US Secretary of State Colin Powell rejected the deal and
insisted there must be new resolutions that toughen the conditions for the inspections.
"I am convinced a new resolution is appropriate with tough
consequences so we are not out here a year from now talking about
this all over again," Powell said. "Pressure works. We're going to keep it up."
Britain offered traditional support, with Prime Minister Tony
Blair warning that the UN's authority was at stake.
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw added that Iraq's deal with Blix's
agency, known as UNMOVIC, could not replace a tough new resolution.
"No one should be under any doubt that any movement by Iraq is
as a result of pressure from the UN and the credible threat of
force," he said.
Moscow positive
But Russia and China both said inspections should resume now.
"In Moscow we welcome the announcement of the successful
conclusion of the consultations in Vienna between the United
Nations, the International Atomic Energy Agency and the delegation from Iraq," foreign ministry spokesperson Alexander Yakovenko said.
"This paves the way for the resumption of inspections in Iraq.
The Iraqi representatives confirmed their agreement to all the
inspection procedures covered under the relevant UN Security
Council resolutions."
Yakovenko said the return of the experts would "provide answers
to questions about the state of Iraq's banned programmes to develop weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery.
"Russia intends to work actively towards a rapid resumption of
inspection and monitoring work in Iraq and the implementation of an effective mandate of the IAEA and UNMOVIC," he added.
China: UN should focus on inspections
China said all UN actions regarding Iraq should now focus on
returning weapons inspectors there as soon as possible.
"At the moment, the priority is to let the United Nations
weapons inspectors return to Iraq as soon as possible and smoothly carry out their work," the foreign ministry said.
"The Security Council's actions on this matter should treat this
as a goal, and should be beneficial to promoting a political
resolution to the Iraq question under the United Nations'
framework," a statement said.
As permanent members of the Security Council, Russia and China,
like Britain, France and the United States, have veto power over
any resolution.
In Cairo, Arab League chief Amr Mussa said the deal struck in
Vienna was a "positive" step toward averting US war plans on Iraq.
He said it was now up to "the international community" to
"refrain from taking measures obstructing" a resumption of the
inspections.
Turkey can play an important role
Meanwhile, Aziz also said Turkey "can play an important role in
preventing a US aggression on Iraq" by denying use of its Incirlik air base.
Turkey, though a close US ally, has also said UN inspectors
should be allowed back into Iraq to finish their monitoring work.
Ankara fears that toppling the Baghdad regime could prompt the
Kurds in northern Iraq to declare independence, fanning separatist sentiment among its own Kurds in adjoining southeast Turkey.
Washington also stepped up its rhetoric against the Iraqi
leader, saying it would welcome Saddam's assassination or exile.
"Regime change is welcome in whatever form it takes," White
House spokesperson Ari Fleischer said.
"The cost of a one-way ticket is substantially less than that,"
he said. "The cost of one bullet the Iraqi people take on
themselves is substantially less than that."
Saddam retorted by saying US defiance of world opinion over Iraq
will only make the United States more hated.
Perhaps two resolutions?
Powell sought to downplay suggestions that the United States
might be prepared to accept two resolutions to accommodate France. Paris insists on one resolution demanding compliance, and a second, if needed, on a military option.
But Powell also refused to rule out the possibility of
concessions to head off a French veto of the US-British
"one-resolution solution".
"We think it's best, we think we've got a convincing case of
that and so do our United Kingdom colleagues. Other nations have a different point of view. That's why you have consultations (and) that's why you have a negotiation."
Meanwhile Bush was to step up his lobbying of Congress on Wednesday for a resolution authorising use of force against Iraq, but it was unclear if lawmakers would give him carte blanche to attack Baghdad.
"I don't want to get a resolution which ties my hands, a
resolution which is weaker than that which was passed out of the
Congress in 1998" and called for Saddam's eventual ouster, he said on Tuesday. - Sapa-AFP
- SAPA
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