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The inspection team will be led by Blix and IAEA director general
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UNITED
NATIONS, November 8 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The resolution
adopted unanimously by the U.N. Security Council on Friday, November
8, sets two clocks ticking for Iraq to scrap its alleged weapons of
mass destruction, as chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix,
confirmed he would be in Baghdad on November 18.
Iraq
has seven days to accept this "final opportunity to comply with
its disarmament obligations," Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.
Baghdad
has a further 23 days to make a complete and accurate declaration of
its programs to develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons,
ballistic missiles and other delivery systems.
The
U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and
the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) start inspections within
45 days of Friday's vote and "update the Council 60 days
thereafter".
Initial
inspections are likely to be limited to "re-baselining" --
assessing what has changed over the past four years.
But
false statements or omissions by Iraq, coupled with a failure to
cooperate fully with the inspectors, will put it "in material
breach of its obligations".
The
Security Council would meet immediately, and the United States would
likely ask it to authorize other U.N. member states to join in a U.S.
military attack on Iraq, AFP said.
Within
60 days of starting work in Iraq, UNMOVIC and the IAEA will draw up a
program of work, containing "the key disarmament tasks" to
be achieved by Iraq.
The
program requires the Security Council's approval, and it is uncertain
how long that would take.
Once
the reinforced inspection and monitoring system is fully operational,
the heads of UNMOVIC and the IAEA are to report to the Council every
120 days.
Resolution
1284 of December 1999 said if Iraq "has cooperated in all
respects" and made progress on the key disarmament tasks, the
Council would consider suspending the comprehensive sanctions imposed
on Iraq in 1990.
Under
the new resolution, a failure to cooperate contributes to unleashing
“punitive” action.
Meanwhile,
Blix said Friday he would be in Baghdad on November 18 under the new
Security Council resolution giving his team a powerful new mandate.
"We
are very pleased that the resolution was adopted by unanimity; that
strengthens our mandate," Blix said.
"We
are planning to go to Baghdad on Monday 18th of this month," he
said.
The
resolution, adopted by all 15 Council members, says inspections of
Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction must begin within 45 days,
but the U.S. ambassador to the U.N., John Negroponte, said he expected
them to start sooner.
"My
understanding is that initial inspections will be able to start well
within the timeframe stipulated by the resolution," Negroponte
told reporters, adding that he conferred with Blix before the Council
vote.
Blix
heads the UNMOVIC, which is charged with supervising the elimination
of Iraq's alleged chemical and biological weapons and ballistic
missiles.
He
was accompanied to the Council by Mohammed El-Baradei, director
general of the IAEA, which is to verify the dismantling of alleged
Iraq's nuclear weapons program.
In
Vienna, IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming also said the inspection team
was planning to deploy around November 18.
She
said the advance party would include eight people from the IAEA and 12
from UNMOVIC.
The
advance team will reopen offices used by the former arms inspectorate,
which was withdrawn in 1998, and organize accommodation and transport
for the new teams.
It
will replace computers that have become obsolete and buy the large
number of jeeps, three heavy helicopters and five light helicopters
which Blix has said he needs.
The
20-inspector team will set up operations and conduct "limited
inspections," she added.
"Around
one week later, full inspections will begin," she said,
cautioning "it will take several weeks to have a fully
operational inspection infrastructure ready."
The
team will be led by Blix and IAEA director general, Fleming said.
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