After fruitful talks with Iraqis, Blix confirms “war can be averted”

LARNACA, Cyprus, November 20 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix on Wednesday, November 20, stressed his talks with Iraqi officials had been constructive, with Washington officially asking London to mobilize troops for a possible deployment in Iraq.

Blix, who heads the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Mohamed El-Baradei had flown out of Baghdad earlier after receiving promises of total cooperation from Iraq to resume the disarmament process, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Blix told journalists they had “good discussions with representatives of the Iraqi government, and we were assured they will fully implement” the recently adopted U.N. Security Council resolution on disarmament.

He described the conversations as “businesslike and professional.”

The U.S. has formally asked Britain to mobilize troops for a possible deployment in Iraq, British Defense Minister Geoff Hoon said Wednesday.

However, Hoon declined to elaborate on the U.S. request, and stressed that it did not suggest that a military operation against Iraq was imminent.

“We have had a request for forces from the United States, but no decision has been taken on that and it does seem to me appropriate that I should set out in more detail our thinking on Monday in the parliamentary debate,” he told reporters.   

In response to a question, Blix said he did not want to “prejudge what Iraq will say,” when it submits a report on December 8 in which it is required to give a full report on its alleged programs for weapons of mass destruction.

But he said he was confident that “war can be averted.”

Asked if he were more hopeful than when he arrived in Iraq on Monday, November 18, Blix said “we’ve come some part of the way; we look forward to continuing.”

U.S. formally asked Britain to mobilize troops for a possible deployment in Iraq, says Hoon

The U.N. Security Council “wants assurances” that Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction, “and we have to get those assurances.”

El-Baradei said he and Blix had impressed on the Iraqis that inspectors want “an accurate and complete report” on December 8, and “they made it clear they will do everything possible to cooperate with us.”

While describing their trip as a “constructive visit,” he added that Baghdad’s verbal commitment “has to be translated on the ground.”

Blix said the Iraqis “were somewhat concerned about the short time for presenting such a big report, and they had particular concern on reporting on the peaceful industries, like the chemical industry, which are devoted to peaceful purposes. They have quite a lot of that, and they were quite concerned about it.

“They assured us they will do everything possible to make sure the declaration would cover all activities,” he added.

After a 40-minute courtesy call to Cypriot President Glafcos Clerides in the Cypriot capital, Nicosia, Blix told reporters the plane that brought him and El-Baradei to Cyprus “is going back this afternoon with the next number of people for Baghdad.”

Blix was to leave Cyprus later in the day, returning to New York.

El-Baradei said he will remain in Cyprus until Thursday, November 22, when he returns to Vienna.

Larnaca is the logistics and support base for the inspectors entering and leaving Iraq.

The inspectors have a mandate from the Security Council to find the biological, chemical and nuclear weapons that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s regime is suspected of developing.

If Iraq does not cooperate, it will face “severe consequences”, expected to be military action led by the United States, which has pushed the Security Council to act against Saddam.

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