UN in charge of inspections, Annan insists (Annan Has No Brain Alert)

National Post ^ | March 25, 2003 | Steven Edwards

[conservativecorner]

World body sets stage for new friction after the war

Steven Edwards National Post, with files from news services

Tuesday, March 25, 2003

UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations refused yesterday to surrender responsibility for disarming Iraq to the United States and Britain, with Kofi Annan, the Secretary-General, saying he expected UN weapons inspections to resume.

As coalition forces hunt for weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Annan said according to rules set by the UN Security Council only UN weapons inspectors can determine whether Iraq is clean.

"[The inspections] have only been suspended temporarily because it's inoperable given the situation on the ground," Mr. Annan said. He added the inspectors planned to resume their work as soon as it was safe to return.

His statement sets the stage for more friction with Washington, which has been quietly hiring its own experts to verify whether weapons found violate the 1991 Gulf War truce banning chemical, biological or nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.

Mr. Annan spoke as U.S. forces chased down leads from captured Iraqis and seized documents about possible chemical and biological weapons sites. A suspicious plant captured by U.S. troops was also being evaluated.

Several UN inspectors who recently returned from Iraq believe stocks of anthrax, VX and other chemical and biological agents remain hidden and U.S. specialists will uncover them.

"I think they'll find a lot," said one senior inspector, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "They'll find archives, they will find scientists who are willing to talk and definitely facilities that have been producing weapons."

Despite eight years of inspections in the 1980s and another four months that ended just last week, the UN staffers failed to fully disarm Iraq.

But interviews by U.S. forces will not employ the genteel tactics used by the United Nations. Scientists who do not talk willingly will likely be held in an interrogation facility, say people involved in the planning.

U.S. officials yesterday appeared to reserve the right to at least limit future UN inspections, which have been the responsibility of the UN Monitoring Inspections and Verification Commission.

"UNMOVIC's job was to verify the disarmament of Saddam. But Saddam did not co-operate at all, and therefore there is a whole new situation on the ground," said one.

"Clearly, once the situation is a bit more calmed down, we'll be able to carry out an intense hunt for weapons of mass destruction. There will be some need for verification. But the U.S. government can't say, at this point, what that role might be for UNMOVIC."

Any U.S. attempt to block new UN inspections will face opposition in the Security Council, already the scene of clashes over humanitarian relief and whether the UN or Washington will administer a post-war Iraq.

U.S. officials in Iraq are questioning two captured Iraqi generals about chemical and biological weapons, said a U.S. commander in the region.

The military is also following up on a cache of documents found by commandos in western Iraq, said General Tommy Franks, head of U.S. Central Command.

Central Command said troops were examining several "sites of interest," but it was premature to call a plant in Najaf, described as suspicious by some officials, a chemical weapons factory.

The 40-hectare complex is near military barracks and surrounded by an electric fence. It had been camouflaged to look like the surrounding desert.

"We do have very clear plans in the event that we find a possible site," Group Captain Al Lockwood said at Central Command's regional headquarters in Qatar.

"We ... take our own team in to look and see if the site is, or could be, involved in chemical weapons or weapons of mass destruction. And then we look for independent verification to ensure that that's the case, and then we will go public on it."

The United States and Britain said yesterday their forces have found no evidence of chemical or biological weapons so far. But defence officials insisted uncovering banned weapons was only a matter of time.

"Saddam Hussein has weapons of mass destruction, we know that," said one. "We expect to find them."

sedwards@nationalpost.com

[conservativecorner]

Annan is more full of sh#t than a christmas turkey!!

[maica]

I saw him give this statement and can only believe that he resides in a parallel universe.

[OpusatFR]

What is in the water at the UN? LSD?

[Ragirl]

The UN is irrelevant and so is Mr. Annan....The Brits & Yanks are in charge of inspections now.

[this_ol_patriot]

Coffee Anus went crazy last week, now he is "Chock-Full of Nuts".

[Preachers Kid]

No offense Coffee, but, I don't trust you or your UN.
.
They'd go inspect and come out saying, *Nope, nothing here*. Thank you, but we can handle it!

[freedomcrusader]

Any U.S. attempt to block new UN inspections will face opposition in the Security Council, already the scene of clashes over humanitarian relief and whether the UN or Washington will administer a post-war Iraq.

Since we have a veto over everything, the U.N. cannot administer lunch in the security council if we don't approve.

[Conspiracy Guy]

If I drove up and down the freeway in LA during the day I could proclaim that there are no deer in California. Would that knowledge qualify me as a UN Inspector? Do I send my resume to Coffee direct or do they have an HR department? A little help please I need a better job.

[laz17]

The criminals are getting desperate. All the criminals who had sweet deals with Saddam, selling him weapons and all kinds of nasty stuff in exchange for oil. France, Germany, Russia, China, and the UN. Criminals all. Saddam's partners in crime. His aiders and abettors. His co-conspirators. They are trying desperately to keep the truth of their corruption and wickedness from being revealed, but I say: Let the truth be known! Let the world see them for what they are -- Saddam's Whores!

France, Germany, Russia, China,
and the UN=Saddam's Whores

[dennisw]

[lavaroise]

VETO VETO

Now, Annan can take his sorry a$$ and shove it, the inspections were targeted at Saddam, not Iraq itself. Can this man read resolutions?

[upchuck]

If the irrelevant UN wants to do inspections after we (the US and our brave allies) win the war they wouldn't support, fine. But I suggest we also do inspections. The fact our inspections will be productive and theirs will not will just increase their irrelevancy.

GET THE US OUT OF THE UN.
GET THE UN OUT OF THE US.

[laz17]

There is no way in hell that Bush can allow Kofi, Chirac, or any of the other criminals who made dirty deals with Saddam to have anything to do with post-war Iraq. All they want to do is cover everything up. All they want to do is get their hands on the WMD, hide their complicity, and then pass the WMD on to terrorists. This cannot be stressed more strongly. The depth of their corruption knows no bounds, and they cannot be permitted to pervert and destroy everything we and our coalition are accomplishing in Iraq with our blood.

Kofi Annan, Jacques Chirac, and all the others who stood against the United States and Great Britain in the righteous cause of eliminating Saddam Hussein's evil and barbaric regime and liberating the people of Iraq, must not be allowed to have any participation in post-war Iraq. Their crimes must end with the fall of the regime.

[lavaroise]

Exactly, that they are slutty Saddam's whores is right. The inspection were targeted against Saddam, not against Iraq, yet they keep protecting Saddam and attacking a free or different regime in Iraq. The gal and lack of shame of these losers is pathetic. There is no way they can pressure that, what are they going to do about it? They cannot vigilante like that without calling for a resolution. It's ridiculous, and they complain about unilateralism, while they throw cheap shots from over the fence like that, in mad liberal vigilantism.

[grammymoon]

you said it all...
excellent!

[Zon]

I saw him give this statement and can only believe that he resides in a parallel universe.

I had a similar thought: "what is this, a Twilight Zone episode?"

[ChemistCat]

I have a liberal professor who still insists that the United States is waging an illegal war.

We never have been UNDER UN AUTHORITY. We didn't put ourselves under their control, we did not surrender our sovereignty, and we didn't sign agreements that we would subordinate ourselves to that organization--at all. Clinton didn't ask the UN for permission when he sent troops here and there.

The UN had its chance (as did the Clinton administration) to be effective, to fix this problem that has been getting worse over time, and they didn't. The proof is in the pudding. Something should have been done when civilians were gassed, when WMD were used against non-combatants. Nothing was done, and the situation got worse and worse. My professor claims that there is 'absolutely no substantiation for the charge that Saddam aided Al-Qaeda in any way at all.' I don't understand how anyone can think that. "Oh, I don't think we can assume that our enemies would join forces against us just because they're all Muslim and chant 'death to America.'" I believe that when Saddam paid money to the families of suicide bombers, he indicted himself circumstantially as a supporter of terrorism in general. I also believe that there is a money trail involving Saddam with the 9/11 murderers.

When it comes right down to it, this is the thing that the liberals have forgotten, and when they say "Oh, Bush is just finishing Daddy's war," or "It's all about oil," or "He is a killer, dragging us into a war that could have been avoided," here's my answer.



No, this could not have been avoided. We had to do this. If we had to do it COMPLETELY alone we'd have still had to do this. The UN had its chance to stop it, the peaceniks had their chance to demand that Saddam step down (instead they encouraged him to stay...) Everybody screwed up but W, and now W is having to fix that. And I'm GLAD we're doing it. I'm glad that the terrorists are going to have one less hiding place, I'm glad that the Iraqi people are going to be free, and I'm VERY GLAD WE'RE KILLING PEOPLE THAT HATE AMERICA.

[Tacis]

Kofi has been having a hard time with his New York mistress lately. Still, he may be right. However, it is certainly best if we simply wait a longer period and just give war a chance.

[The Toad]

This just illustrates the kinds of clown's that are in the UN.

[MadIvan]

We've found more in a week of combat than Blix found in months. Annan cannot be serious. If he is, check the dosage on his medication.

Regards, Ivan