Posted on 02/02/2003 6:06:30 PM PST by knak
London (KurdishMedia.com) 02 February 2003: A UN weapons inspection team were refused entry to the Salahadin University in Erbil, South Kurdistan early this morning.
The Kurdistan Regional Government announced today that an arms inspection team arrived in the region from Iraq held city of Mosul in four U.N. vehicles, which were allowed to pass checkpoints without stopping.
The statement from the Kurdistan Regional Government added, "Suddenly they came to Arbil and rushed to Salahuddin University where they wanted to enter the College of Science. The president of the university stopped them and did not permit them to enter.
The UN inspection team were then sent to the UN headquarters in Eribil, South Kurdistan.
The statement said that the inspectors realized that they had made a mistake and they returned to Mosul.
The UN inspection team are on a mission to find Saddams WMD. The Iraqi government used chemical weapons against the Kurdish nation in the city of Halabja.
"We declare our support for the work of the inspections of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction especially as we are the greatest victims of the use of those weapons, but at the same time we confirm that they are not allowed to behave in this way towards our people," the statement said.
Kurds deny arms inspectors entry
By Jon Hemming
ARBIL, Iraq (Reuters) - Iraqi Kurdish authorities say they have refused U.N. arms inspectors entry to a university science faculty in the breakaway region because they failed to inform the local government they were coming.
Kurdish authorities in the northern Iraqi city of Arbil said a weapons inspection team arrived in the region from government-held city of Mosul in four U.N. vehicles which were allowed to pass checkpoints without stopping.
"Suddenly they came to Arbil and rushed to Salahuddin University where they wanted to enter the College of Science where the president of the university stopped them and did not permit them to enter," the Kurdistan regional government which runs half the breakaway enclave said in a statement on Sunday.
Ewen Buchanan, a spokesman for the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), which sent the teams to northern Iraq, said he believed an UNMOVIC team did inspect the College of Science and Education, specifically its biological and chemistry department.
But a dispute broke out "about the presence of Iraqi minders inside the Kurdish area", he said.
"The Iraqi minders were asked to leave (the region, not just the university)," he added.
Buchanan said UNMOVIC was still trying to establish all the facts but downplayed the significance of the incident.
Local authorities said they had expected to be given prior notice of the inspections. "The inspection team came without the information of the Kurdistan regional government and caused provocation without justification," it said.
It said the weapons team were then sent to the U.N. headquarters for the region in the city of Arbil.
The statement said the inspectors realised they had made a mistake and they returned to Mosul.
"INSENSITIVE BEHAVIOUR"
"We thought they wanted to visit areas where chemical weapons were used or visit victims of chemical weapons," said Kurdistan Democratic Party spokesman Fawzi Hariri.
"We feel they behaved like insensitive bureaucrats."
Kurdish authorities said inspectors had informed them they wished to visit the area on January 15 but informed the Kurds on January 29 they no longer wished to do so, the statement said.
"We declare our support for the work of the inspections of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, especially as we are the greatest victims of the use of those weapons, but at the same time we confirm that they are not allowed to behave in this way towards our people," it said.
Thousands of Kurdish civilians were killed by Iraqi government chemical attacks at the end of the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war. In the town of Halabja alone some 5,000 people were killed in 1988.
Asked what he thought inspectors wanted to see at the university, Hariri said: "It's beyond me, it's extremely insensitive. They are putting the victims in the same category as they abusers.
"We the victims were put on a par with the people who carried out the chemical attacks...this shows their lack of respect to the iraqi people."
'... refused U.N. arms inspectors entry ... because they failed to inform the local government they were coming'???
'Local authorities said they had expected to be given prior notice of the inspections'???
'"We feel they behaved like insensitive bureaucrats." Kurdish authorities said inspectors had informed them they wished to visit the area on January 15 but informed the Kurds on January 29 they no longer wished to do so, the statement said.'
For cripes sakes, we're worried about sensibilities??? Kurds, how about getting yourselves taken off the target list? That sounds sensible to me.
Does this all imply that advanced notice was given for all the inspections? No wonder we can get satellite imagery of stuff going out the back door (my guess).
'The statement said the inspectors realised they had made a mistake and they returned to Mosul.' Yeah, I guess they made a mistake - leaving the area before demanding entry. This is unbelievable!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
