[xzins]

Has Iraq just declared themselves in compliance with 1441?

That guarantees a return to the hyper-reluctant policy regarding destruction of WMD's, I would think. Those El Samoud missiles were the tip of an iceberg. Apparently, this is an announcement that there will never be a willing revelation of the extent of the iceberg.

Is this new to us? Of course not. However, perhaps there's the possibility that other nations believed Iraq was complying. That's highly doubtful -- Iraq's old european allies were probably just lying to others. But, just in case there were any who "believed" Iraq was cooperating, this announcement should be cold water in the face. Saddam has just announced himself in compliance.

And we've yet to see the first liter of anthrax.

[steveegg]

Has Iraq just declared themselves in compliance with 1441?

They're only 4,238 days late and 100 Al-Samoud missiles, a few tons of anthrax, some uranium, etc., etc. short.

[ClancyJ]

Are we watching a staged performance here by Saddam, inspectors and the 3 U.N. member nations that themselves violated U.N. sanctions?

If Saddam is considered in violation of U.N. mandates, what about France, Germany and Russia as members of the U.N. who ignored the sanctions and supplied Saddam with weapons, parts, and anything he wanted to build his arsenal? They too are in violation of the U.N.

Yet, if Saddam is painted as complying and, if complying, there is no further need of sanctions, they whitewash the whole mess (at America's expense of course).

Maybe we are seeing cards being played by Saddam to require them to play his game - otherwise their abuse of the U.N. directives will be made public.

--Saddam is given sanctions and resolution after resolution after the Gulf War. Yet, the French, Germans and Russia are contacted and "bought" to supply the needed items for him to continue building his arsenal.

All is well until George Bush looks at this after 9/11 and says - "wait a minute". He innocently tightens the screws on Saddam and out run some unexpected roaches. These roaches had been his allies.

Now, the roaches have to change the whole scenario to cover their own profitable sabotage of U.N. directives. Gone are the relationships with America and in its place they become the dupes of Saddam. Exposed is the total worthlessness of the U.N. whose own members of the Security Council consort with their designated "abusers of mankind" for profit.

Germany, France and Russia undermined the U.N. themselves when they chose to uphold U.N. sanctions while under-the-table milk the source for profit.

[cake_crumb]

"Saddam Hussein called on the U.N. Security Council on Saturday to lift 12 years of sanctions against Iraq, declaring Baghdad had met its disarmament commitments."

I was running spin patrol this morning like I do every morning - and by the headlines this morning, anyone who hadn't listened to the US, England and Spain handing those Inspector Gadget wannabes and France their heads on a platter would think it was the allied position that got creamed.