The European Union warned Iraq that UN weapons inspection cannot go on forever without its full cooperation, as Baghdad made yet another concession by allowing a U-2 spy plane flight requested by UN monitors.
In a statement published after an emergency summit in Brussels, Belgium , the foreign ministers of 15 EU member states said UN weapons inspectors working in Iraq must be given the time and resources that the UN Security Council believes they need. "However, inspections cannot continue indefinitely in the absence of full Iraqi cooperation," the ministers noted.
They insisted that Baghdad provide all the additional and specific information requested by the inspectors. But the European Union warned that Baghdad should have no illusions, and must disarm and cooperate with the inspectors "immediately and fully."
"Iraq has a final opportunity to resolve the crisis peacefully," the statement said. "The Iraqi regime alone will be responsible for the consequences if it continues to flout the will of the international community and does not take this last chance."
"War is not inevitable. Force should be used only as a last resort. It is for the Iraqi regime to end this crisis by complying fully with the demands of the Security Council," the joint declaration said.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced the first U-2 flight over Iraq as part of the UN disarmament inspections.
"At 11:55 am (0855 GMT) a U-2 surveillance plane entered Iraqi airspace and surveyed several areas of Iraq, then left the airspace at 4:15 pm (1315 GMT)," the ministry said in its daily report on the activities of UN inspectors.
"The surveillance operation went on for four hours and 20 minutes," it said in a statement.
It was the first surveillance flight over Iraq by the United Nations since arms inspections resumed in November 2002. (Albawaba.com)
