Text of the proposed British benchmarks that Iraq must meet

Associated Press | March 12 2003

[HAL9000]

Text of the proposed British benchmarks that Iraq must meet to demonstrate that it is fully cooperating with U.N. weapons inspectors:

IRAQ

The United Kingdom would be ready to accept that Iraq has begun to demonstrate full, unconditional, immediate and active cooperation in accordance with its disarmament obligations under Resolution 1441 (2002) if, by (date is subject to negotiation) Iraq, has satisfactorily completed the following:

1. STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSSEIN

-- President Saddam Hussein must make a public statement in Arabic, broadcast on television and radio in Iraq and in the government-controlled media, that:

-- Iraq has, in the past, sought to conceal its weapons of mass destruction and other proscribed activities, but has now taken a strategic decision not to produce or retain weapons of mass destruction or other proscribed items or related documentation and data;

-- Iraq will without delay yield to UNMOVIC (the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission) and IAEA (the International Atomic Energy Agency) for destruction all remaining prohibited weapons, proscribed items and related documentation and data;

-- Iraq will fully cooperate with UNMOVIC and IAEA in immediately addressing and resolving all outstanding questions;

-- It is the duty of all Iraqi government personnel and citizens immediately:

-To cease any proscribed activity,

-To hand over any proscribed items or documentation and data about such items in their possession to UNMOVIC and IAEA,

-To volunteer information on previous and ongoing activities, and to provide to UNMOVIC and IAEA all cooperation, including by taking part in interviews outside Iraq;

-To disobey any orders received to the contrary;

-- Failure to fulfill this duty would be considered a serious crime by the government. The government would, by (date is subject to negotiation) enact comprehensive legislation to ban all government personnel and citizens from supporting or engaging in proscribed activities, from retaining proscribed items, related documentation and data, and obliging all citizens to comply with all requests from UNMOVIC/IAEA.

2. INTERVIEWS OUTSIDE IRAQ

-- At least 30 Iraqi scientists selected by UNMOVIC/IAEA must be made available for interview in a secure environment outside Iraq along with their families. They must cooperate fully with their interviewers.

3. SURRENDER OF AND EXPLANATIONS ABOUT ANTHRAX

-- All remaining anthrax, anthrax production capability, associated growth media, and related weapons/dispersal mechanisms must be surrendered or credible evidence provided to account for their whereabouts;

-- Credible evidence must also be provided that anthrax was not produced in 1991 and accounting for the anthrax Iraq claims was destroyed in 1991;

-- Credible evidence must be produced concerning Iraq's efforts to dry BW (biological warfare) agents.

4. DESTRUCTION OF MISSILES

-- Destruction must be completed of all Al Samoud 2 missiles and components, including all warheads, launchers, SA-2 missile engines imported outside of the import/export mechanism and in contravention of paragraph 24 of resolution 687 (1991), and equipment and components designed for the production and testing of the Al Samoud 2 missile.

5. ACCOUNTING FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEVICLES AND REMOTELY PILOTED VEHICLES

-- Credible evidence must be provided on the purpose of all RPV/UAV programs, information on organizations involved, and the inventory of all items related to the program (such as engines, GPS (Global Position Systems), guidance systems, air frames, etc.) including details of all tests made, of range capabilities, of payloads and of CBW (chemical and biological warfare) spray devices.

6. SURRENDER OF AND EXPLANATIONS ABOUT MOBILE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION FACILITIES

-- Mobile chemical and/or biological production facilities must be surrendered for destruction;

-- A complete accounting must be provided for mobile chemical and/or biological facilities production programs. Details should also be provided of sites providing support for/servicing/hosting mobile facilities.

The United Kingdom reserves its position if Iraq fails to take the steps required of it.

[Cate]

Wahooo.... Tony Blair is brillant. Saddam will never agree to any of this and it will cause him to be in breach again. At this time tomorrow night, we should be hitting Iraq with some bombs...

[John H K]

-- At least 30 Iraqi scientists selected by UNMOVIC/IAEA must be made available for interview in a secure environment outside Iraq along with their families. They must cooperate fully with their interviewers.

That's probably the one least likely to be agreed to, and the language about families is the most critical. Like I said, the British aren't going wobbly, they know these will never be agreed to.

Of course, the Iraqis will claim the families don't want to leave or some such nonsense.

[Wissa]

I think Saddam would agree to all of it... and then delay and stall until all of a sudden it's July and still nothing has happened.

[Steven W.]

It's not a new requirement - that was the language required by 1441. What this is saying is that Saddam has to actually let that happen for at least 30 of the hundreds of scientists waiting to be questioned.

[Parley Baer]

Not to worry as the French will veto it. But it will help Blair at home. He's had a rough go. Then it's off to war to rid the world of this scum bag. The end game is near. LET'S ROLL. Parley

[k2blader]

Bump!

[Bookem]

Here is ScrappleFace's

---

Rumsfeld Adds More Ways for Iraq to Avoid War
(2003-03-12) -- U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld this morning added more conditions which would allow Iraq to avoid war.

The announcement follows British Prime Minister Tony Blair's proposal to add six new terms to a U.N. resolution disarming Iraq.

Mr. Rumsfeld's conditions include the following:

-- Mr. Hussein must admit on Iraqi television that he's "a wicked despotic loaf of pig flesh."
-- He will then gargle with a glass of anthrax-tainted French wine
-- Each morning, Mr. Hussein will personally ingest 16 ounces of metal-filings from a destroyed Iraqi missile or bomb, before he goes to work at the factory which is destroying such weapons.
-- Mr. Hussein will go door-to-door in Northern Iraq, wearing a flower-print dress, begging forgiveness from the Kurds one at a time.

Mr. Rumsfeld said these are just the initial conditions, "off the top of my head. Give me a day or so, I'm just getting started."

[Godfollow]

You just give the UN, i.e. France more fodder with which to fool around, and drag this endlessly out... I hope we don't go for it... if we do, you may as well bring our military home and watch saddam throw a big party.

[VRWC_minion]

Saddam's notes follow

1. STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT SADDAM HUSSEIN

Yeah sure, whatever. I'll phrase it in a way that makes it the fault of the US.

. INTERVIEWS OUTSIDE IRAQ

Find 30 guys with a bachelor of science degree in business to send

3. SURRENDER OF AND EXPLANATIONS ABOUT ANTHRAX

Nothing to surrender.

4. DESTRUCTION OF MISSILES

Sure no problem, a missle a day keeps the doctor away (Note: increase production)

<5. ACCOUNTING FOR UNMANNED AERIAL VEVICLES (SIC) AND REMOTELY PILOTED VEHICLES

What unmanned aerial vehicles ?

6. SURRENDER OF AND EXPLANATIONS ABOUT MOBILE CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PRODUCTION FACILITIES

What facilities ? You mean the baby formula factories ?

[PhiKapMom]

I second everything you have said. Time to end this farce and tell the UN to get out of the way. The first requirement of Saddam on TV made me mad this morning when I heard Straw say it, and I am still mad. What an idiotic think to say when everyone knows Saddam lies.

[ellery]

don't trust the french to veto. Why wouldn't they just let it through -- same as 1441 -- to buy time until it's too hot to go in?

[Cate]

That's the brillance of this proposal. We all know that Saddam would never submit to all of these. Even if Dan Rather helps him. Saddam has such a huge ego, he will never allow any of us low lifes telling him what to say or what to do. He's going down. And soon.

[mikenola]

The timeline:

3/13/03 - U.S. agrees to 45 day postponement to UNSCR 1441 " to give inspectors more time "
4/25/03 - Angola and Guinea urge the U.S. to agree to another 90 extension, citing Iraqis "good will"
7/24/03 - Powell cites "substantial cooperation on the part of the Iraqis"
11/01/03 - Gen Franks withdraws U.S. troops from the Middle East citing "readiness concerns"
6/04/04 - Hillary Clinton wins Democratic nomination for U.S president
7/14/04 - Condoleeza Rice wins Repubican nomination for U.S. president
11/05/04 - Hillary Clinton is elected U.S. president, majority of U.S. blacks vote against "uncle-tom" Rice.
2/1/05 U.S announces reconciliation program of Saddam Hussein...

...and so it goes

[PhiKapMom]

I don't believe it is brilliant at all and neither do the folks I know! What if France decides not to veto -- we are stuck in the UN quagmire or what if Saddam says that he will abide but doesn't.

That leaves our troops vulnerable to very hot weather.

I think this is a bad idea! You don't depend on Saddam not complying or the French vetoing. That is not good politics. This is all to prop up Blair!

Time to put America first and forget the quagmire at the United Nations that Powell and Blair got us into! You will find according to another article on here that President Bush has had it with all of this "diplomacy!"

[PhiKapMom]

I am with you 100%. You don't depend on a French veto when you put out this resolution. That is flat out stupid!

[xm177e2]

I agree, this is brilliant. The worm Chiraq does not want to enforce 1441, but he would have to enforce a limited 1442 or veto it, he has less maneuvering room here. A veto on this would be disastrous for him--after all, he wants the inspections to work, why not make them stronger? His position would be exposed as completely bankrupt, and we could march on to Baghdad without him.

[Cate]

PhiKapMom- my reasoning on why I think this is a good idea is as follows. We employ in our government a large staff of people who live for challenges. I am sure that these dudes and dudettes have been up all night along with their British counterparts dreaming up this proposal. To them its like a huge game of chess. Of course, there is the risk of the French throwing yet another monkey wrench into this, but I have to believe we have the strongest political minds on our side. And furthermore, President Bush has reached the end of his patience with all of this. The behind the scenes securing we've been doing in Iraq is going to enable us to strike and strike cleanly. So thats why my faith in this is so strong.