The United States has indications that Iraq is seriously thinking about allowing U.N. weapons inspectors to return, a senior American diplomat said Wednesday.
"I think a lot of people are telling us the Iraqis are seriously thinking about this now," U.S. Deputy Ambassador James Cunningham told a group of reporters.
"As long as the secretary-general and his people ... think there's a chance of bringing the Iraqi's to that point for whatever reason, we think it's a useful thing to do," he said.
Cunningham said the Iraqis have had "ample opportunity" to exchange views with U.N. Secretary General, Kofi Annan, discuss technical issues with chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, and consult Security Council members on other questions it raised.
"I don't think anybody thinks that this process should drag on for months," Cunningham was quoted as saying.
Cunningham said the United States is pursuing "two tracks" toward Iraq that are not necessarily linked: getting inspectors back into Iraq and improving the delivery of civilian goods to ordinary Iraqis by revamping the U.N. oil-for-food program, and pursuing the Bush administration's goal of getting rid of Saddam.
"Not everybody yet agrees with us on the concept of regime change, but we're working on that," he said. "We don't have any plans or timing for a specific project, military or otherwise, that has yet been put into place to effect regime change, but we're looking at a lot of options."
Meanwhile, the No. 2 official at the U.S. Defense Department said a regime change in Iraq would help solve the Middle East crisis. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz is widely viewed as an advocate for U.S. military action to oust THE Iraqi President.
"We can't continue living forever with the dangers that are presented" by Iraq's chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs, Wolfowitz said. (Albawaba.com)
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