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