UN/IRAQ: While not contending that Iraq had any weapons of mass destruction, chief UN weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix said yesterday that he hoped the Iraqis would go through their stores and archives and make a full declaration of inventory before the deadline of December 8th.
Iraq on Wednesday agreed to accept UN Resolution No 1441 to resume inspections, but stated that it had no chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. On the eve of his departure for Baghdad to prepare for a renewal of inspections after four years, Dr Blix told Le Monde that a delay of 30 minutes in access to any of 700 sites could be a serious violation. At a press conference in the UN yesterday he said that the inspections would probably resume on November 27th. If Iraq were to state in a declaration it must make by December 8th that it had no banned weapons, then countries that claimed to have evidence to the contrary must "put it on the table".
Dr Blix said it was up to the Security Council to decide whether any Iraqi omissions or false statements constituted a material breach, which could lead to US military action. Dr Blix described President Bush's "zero tolerance" standard as "a very strict word", earning a swift retort from White House spokesman Mr Scott McClellan who said, "The inspectors, I will remind you, are there to report the facts back to the Security Council. . .that's where they will be discussed and assessed and determinations will be made on what kind of consequences need to follow."
Dr Blix will arrive in Baghdad on Monday. Russia said yesterday any problem encountered by the inspectors should be brought to the UN and not used as a pretext for US attack. Moscow's UN ambassador, Mr Sergei Lavrov, warned against a repeat of previous inspections which used "crude and arrogant methods".
Meanwhile US Defence Secretary Mr Donald Rumsfeld said that if there was war, the US would move to "finish it fast".