Iraq: Amensty Secretary General questions Powell

26 January 2003

How does the threat which Iraq poses today weigh against the threat that American military action poses for human rights and innocent lives in the Middle East?, Amnesty International's Secretary General asked Colin Powell today.

IRAQ: U.N. Weapons Inspectors Deliver Critical Report To Security Council

Washington - January 27, 2003. The chief U.N. weapons inspectors this morning were critical of Iraq's cooperation in providing information about its programs for weapons of mass destruction but said they needed more time to come to any definitive conclusions. Addressing the Security Council, Hans Blix, the chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, detailed the first 60 days of their inspections as authorized by Resolution 1441. They provided ammunition both to proponents of using force against Iraq, in particular the United States, by detailing cases of noncooperation, and to those seeking more time for inspections, such as France and Germany, by failing to find conclusive evidence of prohibited weapons.

U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said after the inspectors delivered the report, "Nothing we have heard today gives us hope that Iraq intends to fully comply with Resolution 1441." French Ambassador Jean-Marc de la Sabliere said, "We need now more active cooperation from Iraq and we need more time. … It could be several weeks, it could be a few months." As long as inspections are "producing results," he said, "they should go on."

Blix said Iraq's cooperation on process, such as access to sites, "has been provided to all sites we have wanted to inspect," but that similar cooperation on substantive questions is still needed. In particular, he highlighted question over the nerve gas VX and the biological agent anthrax. Iraq's contention is that the VX program was experimental and the gas was never "weaponized." Blix said, however, there are "indications that the agent was weaponized." He also said there are "several thousands of chemical rockets that are unaccounted for" and questions concerning the recent discovery of a supply of thiodiglycol, a mustard gas precursor.

Blix said there is "no convincing evidence" that Iraq has destroyed the anthrax it says it produced prior to the Gulf War in 1991."It is not enough to open doors," Blix said. "Inspection is not a game of 'catch as catch can.' ... Rather, it is designed to lead to trust, if there is both openness to the inspectors and action to present them with items to destroy or credible evidence about the absence of any such items." Some of the outstanding issues on Iraq's nuclear program that ElBaradei raised were dual-use materials such as conventional explosives and attempts by Iraq to import uranium during the 1990s. "We have urged Iraq once again to increase the degree of its cooperation with the inspection process," he said.

ElBaradei told the council, "We have to date found no evidence that Iraq has revived its nuclear weapons program. … However, our work is steadily progressing and should be allowed to run its natural course." He added, "We should be able within the next few months to provide credible assurance that Iraq has no nuclear weapons program."

Blix did not explicitly call for more time as did ElBaradei. Instead, he spoke of the "growing capability of UNMOVIC." He added, "That capability which has been built up in a short time and which is now operating, is at the disposal of the Security Council."

Secretary General Kofi Annan said this morning before the council meeting, "I think if [the inspectors] do need time, they should be given the time to do their work and all of us, the council when they sent them, must have realized that time will be necessary -- a reasonable amount of time. I'm not saying forever, but they do need time to get the work done. And I suspect the council will allow for that time to be done."

Following the briefings by the two experts, Negroponte said, "In the days ahead, we believe the council and its member governments must face its responsibilities and consider what message council irresolution sends to Iraq and other proliferators. It benefits no one to let Saddam think he can wear us down into business as usual."The council went into closed-door consultations after the public briefing by Blix and ElBaradei. Consultations continued into the afternoon and will resume Wednesday.

Iraq Responds

Responding to the report in remarks to the press, Iraqi Ambassador to the United Nations Mohammed al-Douri said, "We opened all doors to Dr. Blix and his team. ... We have no hidden reports at all." He added, "There [is] no more need for inspectors, but if they feel there is a need, then we will cooperate with them." Al-Douri added, "No country in the world has disarmed as Iraq [did] from 1991 to 1998." He said President George W. Bush has "decided to make an issue out of Iraq" (Jim Wurst, UN Wire, Jan. 27).

Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri today accused the United States of using the arms issue to veil a hidden agenda to seize Iraq's oil resources and protect U.S. interests in Israel. "We have done everything possible to let this country and the whole region avoid the danger of war and destruction by the warmongers of Washington and their ally (British Prime Minister) Tony Blair," he said (Associated Press/MSNBC.com, Jan. 27).

White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said today that Bush "still hopes this can be resolved peacefully" and that "he does not want to lead the nation to war." Fleischer added that "there's no reason it has to take this long" to conduct weapons inspections in Iraq and that Bush is concerned about saving Americans' lives and worried about a potential situation that "can be far, far worse than the crisis seen on Sept. 11." Tomorrow evening, Bush will deliver the annual State of the Union address, which will examine Iraq as well as other issues (Angela Stephens, UN Wire, Jan. 27).

The United Kingdom and the United States were expected to team up in the closed-door debate today arguing that Iraq is already in "material breach" of the council's demand that it disarm. The two countries will not likely press for immediate action. Blair and Bush are scheduled to meet this Friday at Camp David (Karen DeYoung, Washington Post, Jan. 25).

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell told attendees at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, yesterday that the United States "is in no great rush to judgment tomorrow, or the day after, but clearly time is running out." Powell went on to indicate that the United States would not hesitate to use force "if that is the only way to rid Iraq of its weapons of mass destruction ... When we feel strongly about something, we will lead, we will act, even if others are not prepared to join us" (Leopold/Wright, Reuters, Jan. 27).

The Washington Post reported Saturday that U.S. and diplomatic sources say the Bush administration has agreed to let U.N. inspections proceed in Iraq for the next several weeks, but not much beyond that. "We never said we would cut off inspections on Jan. 27," said one administration official. "... We also have never shown any interest in allowing them to go on for four or five months."

France, Russia and China, all of whom wield veto power on the Security Council, have said they want a second resolution before military force can be used in Iraq. One source said that Blair also wants a second resolution because, according to the source, from Blair's perspective "all kinds of things become easier -- domestic politics, the international situation, more willing partners and the aftermath" of an attack (DeYoung, Washington Post).

According to CNN.com, the U.S. State Department has already begun drafting the text for a possible second U.N. resolution authorizing military action against Iraq. Like the United Kingdom, the Bush administration faces domestic opposition to a war with Iraq. Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle told reporters yesterday, "The president has yet to make that case and show what direct evidence there is to invade Iraq at this time" (CNN.com, Jan. 27).

The London Times reports today that in light of the fact that U.S. and British troops will not be in place for a military attack against Iraq until the end of February, the United Kingdom is considering advocating for more time for inspections, followed by a U.N. vote as early as the beginning of March. Germany, which holds the rotating chairmanship of the Security Council for the month of February, has asked Blix and ElBaradei to give another report to the council on Feb. 14 (London Times, Jan. 27).

AFGHANISTAN: Special Classes Get Girls Up To Speed In School

After missing five years of schooling under the Taliban regime, then returning to classrooms to find themselves placed alongside younger boys, Afghan girls are pouring by the thousands into an accelerated learning program designed to help them catch up to their male counterparts, a UNICEF spokesman said yesterday. Edward Carwardine said the three-month winter break program in Kabul, funded by UNICEF and aided by BRAC, has already drawn 15,000 girls and educated 11,500 in basic math and Dari. Carwardine said the turnout was greater than expected and would likely attract more girls in coming weeks. "It shows the desire for education," he said. "It will meet the needs of older girls who have missed out on years of schooling due to the Taliban or being displaced overseas."

Women To Be Immunized For Tetanus

Carwardine also said that on Feb. 1, President Hamid Karzai will launch an official campaign to immunize Afghanistan's women against tetanus. Tetanus kills about 30,000 women and 200,000 infants from developing countries each year but is easily prevented with a three-stage vaccine. In Afghanistan, immunization coverage levels hover around 13 percent (Agence France-Presse/ReliefWeb, Jan. 26).

U.S. To Help Fund Maternal And Child Health Care

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Pentagon yesterday announced a joint $5 million initiative to modernize and expand Kabul's largest women's hospital, Rabia Balkhi Women's Hospital, and set up four teaching clinics for maternal and child health in outlying parts of Afghanistan.

Afghan women suffer one of the world's highest maternal mortality rates. A survey released last December by the Centers for Disease Control and UNICEF revealed that 1,600 of them die in childbirth for every 100,000 children born. By comparison, the rate in the United States is 12 per 100,000. Afghan Deputy Public Health Minister Ferozudeen Feroz has said that 70 percent of Afghanistan's clinics cannot provide the most basic maternal and child services.

More than 25 percent of Afghan children die before turning 5, and two in five of those perish because of preventable diseases such as diarrhea. The four teaching clinics will train doctors, nurses and midwives in critical birth and child care procedures. Funds will be used at the Rabia Balkhi Women's Hospital to modernize equipment and expand facilities. The hospital admits nearly 36,000 patients each year and delivers about 40 babies every day (Judith Miller, New York Times, Jan. 27).

MIDDLE EAST:   Leave 14 Dead

Fighting between Israelis and Palestinians killed 14 people yesterday, as Israeli troops made repeated incursions into the Gaza Strip in response to Palestinian rocket attacks.

The Palestinian casualties included a 4-year-old boy, according to Palestinian sources (CNN.com, Jan. 27). Israeli troops also destroyed several buildings, including three homes belonging to members of the militant Hamas movement (Deutsche Presse-Agentur/ReliefWeb, Jan. 26). Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of using "blood and destruction" to improve his showing in tomorrow's general election. "He's turning the Gaza Strip into a pile of rubble in a deliberate attempt to destroy the Palestinian infrastructure and the Palestinian Authority," Erekat said.

An Israeli official said the military operations predated the election campaign and said Erekat's comments were "total and complete rubbish" (CNN.com). Palestinian presidential adviser Nabil Abu Rudeineh said his government would call on the U.N. Security Council to discuss the "ongoing massacres" (DPA/ReliefWeb). U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan deplored the "ominous escalation" of the conflict and called for renewed peace efforts. He said he was concerned "by Israeli military operations in the Gaza Strip that place Palestinian civilians in harm's way" as well as by Palestinian rocket attacks on southern Israel, which he called "counterproductive to peace efforts such as the Palestinian cease-fire talks under way in Cairo" (U.N. release, Jan. 26).

Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said yesterday that his country would deploy a record 25,000 security personnel for the elections and had sealed the border with the Palestinian territories until after the vote. Mofaz also accused Palestinian groups of increasing terror attacks in an effort to influence the election's outcome (Herb Keinon, Jerusalem Post, Jan. 27).

Cease-Fire Talks At Impasse

Hamas and the militant group Islamic Jihad today rejected an Egyptian proposal for a one-year moratorium on attacks against Israel, presented during the 12-faction Palestinian talks in Cairo. "There will be no halt, no truce and no freezing of resistance," said Hamas delegate Osama Hamdan. Hamdan and Islamic Jihad representative Ziyad Nikhla also said their movements had refused an offer from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to join his Palestinian Liberation Organization. The offer was reportedly meant to pave the way for Hamas and Islamic Jihad to participate in Palestinian Authority politics. The two groups' delegates, however, called instead for a new leadership to head the fight against Israel. A senior delegate from Arafat's Fatah faction, Ahmed Ghoneim, said that the conclusion of the negotiations today would include a joint political statement stressing the need to continue dialogue in the search for a unified Palestinian position. The talks' agenda had originally called for a formal agreement by all the factions. "I would say that it did not achieve its goals. But I would not say that it failed," said Ghoneim (Associated Press/Jerusalem Post, Jan. 27).