Iraq said that it expected UN weapons inspectors to arrive next week. In a letter sent by the Iraqi government to chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix, Baghdad authorities said they were ready to welcome an advance team from October 19.
But the letter also highlighted Iraqi "sovereignty," and the United States rejected the move. A senior Washington official said Iraq was "playing games with the inspectors."
The Iraqi letter avoided a direct response to a letter written on Oct. 8 by Blix and Mohamed el Baradei, the director-general of the U.N. International Atomic Energy Agency. In their letter, they asked the right of inspectors to conduct interviews and choose "the mode and location" for them as well as the possibility of flying U-2 spy planes over Iraq.
The United States immediately seized on the Iraqi letter as another example of Saddam Hussein's evasion. "We are not surprised that once again the Iraqis want to delay and deceive," said Richard Grenell, spokesman for U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte, according to Reuters.
But Iraq's U.N. ambassador, Mohamed Aldouri, said this was a misinterpretation. "The letter means we are working on all questions in good faith." "Let the inspectors get back to Iraq. We don't think there will be any problems with inspections," he added.
In a related development, Iraq's vice president said in an interview published on Saturday that Baghdad was prepared to allow U.N. weapons inspectors to visit eight presidential palaces.
"As far as we are concerned, the inspectors can search and inspect however and where ever they would like," Taha Yassin Ramadan told the German Der Spiegel newsmagazine.
Ramadan also praised the German government for opposing an attack on Iraq with or without a UN resolution. "For the first time, the political independence of Germany has become clear -- that the Germans are not rowing in the Americans' wake."
Meanwhile, two key US military headquarters prepared to move to Kuwait as the Pentagon continues its military build up in the Gulf region. Defense officials said fewer than 1,000 troops would be moved with the US Army's 5th Corps headquarters in Europe and the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force headquarters in California.
But they would lay the foundation for a much larger combat force on the ground if Bush decides to launch a major military action against Iraq. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
