Iraq agrees to weapons inspections: Bush administration skeptical

CNN ^ | 9/16/2002 | Andrea Koppel

[ArcLight]

Iraq says it will allow U.N. weapons inspectors to immediately return to the country without conditions, but a senior U.S. official discounted the announcement, saying "we do not take what Saddam says at face value."

Word that Iraq would allow inspections to resume came Monday in a letter delivered to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri delivered the letter in a meeting with Annan and the secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa.

[B-Cause]

Bump

Yeah right - and his mother is a virgin!

[Jean S]

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) --Iraq says it will allow U.N. weapons inspectors to immediately return to the country without conditions, but a senior U.S. official discounted the announcement, saying "we do not take what Saddam says at face value."

Word that Iraq would allow inspections to resume came Monday in a letter delivered to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan. Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri delivered the letter in a meeting with Annan and the secretary-general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa.

"I can confirm to you that I have received a letter from the Iraqi authorities conveying its decision to allow the return of inspectors without conditions to continue their work," Annan said.

Annan will pass the letter on to the president of the 15-member U.N. Security Council Monday evening, and top diplomats are to study it overnight.

The timing of the Iraqi letter coincided with a major push by the Bush administration to draft tougher U.N. resolutions ordering weapons inspectors back into Iraq on a tight deadline and threatening the use of military force if Iraq does not comply.

Annan said President Bush's speech last Thursday to the U.N. General Assembly helped "galvanize" the international community in getting Iraq to comply with U.N. resolutions.

"A lot has happened in this building since Thursday," Annan said in announcing the news.

But the official, who is involved in the deliberations over Iraq, expressed skepticism:

"We will work with the United Nations and specifically the Security Council on what Iraq will be required to accept," said the official. "We do not take what Saddam says at face value to begin with. And there will be no negotiating. The U.N. will act to lay out the requirements, or we will, but he gets no input."

Secretary of State Colin Powell has been meeting with U.N. Security Council members in hopes of building a consensus to support one or more resolutions "with teeth." (Full story)

However the actual drafting has yet to begin -- some diplomats tell CNN they don't expect pens to be put to paper until later this week -- with a final draft ready by month's end.

[Reagan Man]

>>>... "we do not take what Saddam says at face value."

No sane person does.

[AdvisorB]

Watch the liberal hive go into overdrive and lap this
all up, like saddam's little lap dogs. Their groveling
makes me sick. Daschle, the clintons, and kofi annan
are all working to bring down this great President.

[byteback]

The White House says that the UN Security council hasn't yet seen the letter. They're quite pissed that Kofui went to the media bofore going to the Security Council.

[Aric2000]

When we get close to something, he is going to kick them out again.

This was too easy, he is stalling for time.

Anybody want to place bets that he is weeks away from a nuclear weapon of some sort?

[Dog]

We don't need a statement from the White House we need to see someone on the networks now talking about this .....before this train leaves the station without them...

This story is being spun as we speak and its time to get off the pot ..

[tet68]

George Bush should have just acted.
The Demorats debt to the nation just got a LOT bigger.
You thought Biden, Dasshole et al had mealy mouths before,
just wait.
Damn them, this is going to cost American lives!

[Rocko]

You are correct. The "peace in our time" liberals who have no clear sense of history.

[tet68]

weeks away

That would be my guess. Or weeks away from a devastating bio or chem attack by Al quieda.

[ex-snook]

"When we get close to something, he is going to kick them out again. "

That's propaganda. A video replay of this period will show that Saddam did not kick out the inspectors. Clinton withdrew them so bombing could begin.

[Mo1]

Iraq says it will allow U.N. weapons inspectors to immediately return to the country without conditions

I don't believe him either

[Sub-Driver]

terms and conditions, terms and conditions.......

[Mo1]

They're quite pissed that Kofui went to the media bofore going to the Security Council.

And I hope they remember this stunt of Kofui's

[Right_in_Virginia]

What about Bush's other conditions?

[Reagan Man]

>>>This story is being spun as we speak and its time to get off the pot ..

So far, only Kofi and the Bush administration have made a public statement about the Iraqi letter. Bush and company probably anticipated this happening. Let's remember what the President said, we're talking days and weeks here, not months. We shall see, what transpires. Saddam will not give unfettered access, unless he is confident the evidence is undercover and hidden from inspectors. Besides, there are a lot of other stipulations that Bush made in his UN speech last week, which I don't believe Saddam will agree to.

[mountaineer]

I hope the members of the security council are p.o'd at Kofi, too.

[Sub-Driver]

ah, but now that is solved we can focus on the domestic agenda, like spending more money on social programs so that we can all get re-elected in November...........

[Political Junkie Too]

No sane person does.

I bet that Tom Daschle will. Now they can call off Congressional Debates and go back to talking down the economy.

-PJ