Iraq will do anything to have UN sanctions lifted

After the conclusion of an armistice with Kuwait, Iraq announced that it would allow international inspectors into the country.

Baghdad would like to link the return of the inspectors with the UN Security Council’s resolutions concerning Iraq, particularly those ones about the requirements for the lifting of the sanctions imposed on Iraq and the liquidation of weapons of mass destruction in all Middle East countries.

The Iraqi Foreign Minister stated that, if Baghdad agrees to receive international inspectors, it will be on the will of its leadership and not because of US threats against Iraq. Naji Sabri stated that Baghdad seeks a new kind of cooperation with the UN, which will be based on the US Security Council’s resolutions and take account of Iraq’s legal rights.

The very fact that Iraq seeks direct cooperation with the UN concerning the ending of sanctions and the return of inspectors to the country may positively influence the attitude of the world community towards Iraq. However, if we remember the threat of a US invasion of Iraq, a change in the world’s attitude is hardly believed to help Iraq. It is impossible to remove the USA from the peace talks, probably because the US envoy to the UN Security Council will vote down any initiatives submitted by Iraq. At the same time, if Iraqi initiatives are supported by the majority of the Security Council’s members, and not only by its traditional allies (Russia and China), the situation may turn against the US.

The German government plans to prevent a US attack through diplomatic means, Der Bild reported on Saturday. An official from the German government is cited in the article: “The German leadership is sure that it is wrong to start aggression; first of all, the UN is to exert pressure on Iraq.”

Dmitry Chirkin PRAVDA.Ru

Translated by Maria Gousseva

Read the original in Russian: http://www.pravda.ru/main/2002/03/30/39044.html