Blix Wants Inspectors in Iraq

Associate Press via Yahoo News ^ | 17 April 2003 | TONY CZUCZKA

[SkyPilot]

Blix Wants Inspectors in Iraq

By TONY CZUCZKA, Associated Press Writer

BERLIN - The chief U.N. weapons inspector for Iraq (news - web sites) urged the U.S.-led coalition to allow his team back into the country to look for weapons of mass destruction, saying that would increase the credibility of any discoveries, a magazine reported Thursday.

Hans Blix, who was in charge of searches for chemical and biological weapons and long-range missiles in Iraq, also challenged President Bush (news - web sites)'s administration to present proof of its allegation that Syria has chemical weapons.

"Whoever claims this should, in the interests of credibility, very quickly present the relevant proof," Blix said in an interview with the German weekly Der Spiegel. "For my part, I doubt that the Syrians would have been enthusiastic to serve as a depot of weapons of mass destruction for Baghdad."

Weapons inspectors left Iraq days before war in Iraq began. In explaining their decision to invade, the United States and Britain charged that Saddam Hussein (news - web sites)'s regime had weapons of mass destruction.

"Now we will see whether London and Washington were right," Blix told Der Spiegel. "I am very curious and can only wish them luck in their search."

The Bush administration, which blamed Blix for hampering its drive to win international support for war, has not invited U.N. inspectors to take part in disarming postwar Iraq. Instead, the United States has tried to hire away some inspectors and has deployed its own teams to search for weapons of mass destruction.

Blix said internationally backed inspections would have "considerably more credibility."

"The alliance came as liberator and occupier, and that can prove to be a disadvantage," he told the magazine. "If its experts now should really discover weapons of mass destruction, their authenticity might be called into question."

Reports on Iraqi weapons programs that the inspectors received from intelligence agencies were "pretty pathetic" and led to no discoveries of weapons of mass destruction, Blix said.

The chief nuclear weapons inspector, Mohamed ElBaradei, even received forged documents meant to persuade the inspectors that Iraq had nuclear weapons ambitions, Blix said. He gave no details.

Blix, who has been invited to brief the U.N. Security Council on April 22, called for efforts to declare the entire Middle East free of weapons of mass destruction, "naturally including Israel."

Israel is widely believed to have nuclear weapons, though it has not officially acknowledged having them.

[BlueYonder]

To me, that sounds very much like he knows something more about the location of those "non-existant" WMDs. He needs to be intenstly questioned.

Blixie is more worried now than ever. What will the captured Iraqi scientists reveal about what they told Blixie and the UN inspectors? Yes, what did Blixie know and when did he know it!

[SkyPilot]

I want a pony!

[Semper Paratus]

Hasn't somebody pink slipped him yet!

[johnb838]

[MHGinTN]

Give the inspectors proctoscopes and turn them loose in the U.N building. That's where the 'cancerous polyps' are.

[txradioguy]

"For my part, I doubt that the Syrians would have been enthusiastic to serve as a depot of weapons of mass destruction for Baghdad."


Yeah and you thought Iraq had no WMD's either. Note to Mr. Blix....Mr. Magoo could find weapon's easier than you Hans baby!

[been_lurking]

Stop teasing!

[conservativeammom]

Okay Blixie you had your fifteen minutes, now they're up. Go back to sitting in the corner and counting your toes like a good boy.....Oh, and don't forget to take your meds...Okay!!

[mtbrandon49]

Will Inspect For Food.

[Publius6961]

And what blix wants is more important than bird droppings because... ?

[Randjuke]

I think it's a good idea. Obviously not a popular opinion here.

I agree with you. Having Blix' team verify a finding of WMD would help a lot with credibility. He'll be there with US inspectors/soldiers and I doubt he could screw it up that badly.

[m1911]

Well, at least I'm not alone. We'll see how it all plays out, I suppose.

[CyberAnt]

Somebody with enough GUTS needs to tell this guy to shut his mouth. He had his chance to show what he could do - evidently he did - nothing!!!

[Carolinamom]

Blix NEVER did understand that his job was NOT to look for WMD but to verify; Hussein's was to SHOW him what was there.

Blix is entirely too fond of giving interviews IMO. (That was not in his job description either.)

[CyberAnt]

I heard Blix has already sent in his resignation - effective in June.

[lilylangtree]

"Blix said internationally backed inspections would have "considerably more credibility."

Gracious, this man is an idiot. The inspectors of the 90s had international-backed inspections by the countries that made up the UN, and what good did it do? Absolutely NOTHING. Yet, he's in the press calling AGAIN for international UN inspections. Why? To give some people a job? He's such a turkey. He should be eating crow since he can't explain why he and his group of inspectors didn't locate the many caches of biological weapons and equipment, missiles. Somebody shut this idiot up! His credibility is nonexistent.

[Bonaparte]

"...saying that would increase the credibility of any discoveries..."

So Blix considers himself more trustworthy than us? He's not only a lousy diplomat, but delusional as well.

[PogySailor]

IMHO, Blix wants back in so he can inform his handlers in Paris and Moscow who we have and who's talking.