VARIOUS: AFTER WEEKS OF INTENSE NEGOTIATIONS THE U.S. SAYS IT PLANS TO BRING IT'S IRAQI DISARMAMENT RESOLUTION TO A VOTE ON FRIDAY
Record ID:
640692
VARIOUS: AFTER WEEKS OF INTENSE NEGOTIATIONS THE U.S. SAYS IT PLANS TO BRING IT'S IRAQI DISARMAMENT RESOLUTION TO A VOTE ON FRIDAY
- Title: VARIOUS: AFTER WEEKS OF INTENSE NEGOTIATIONS THE U.S. SAYS IT PLANS TO BRING IT'S IRAQI DISARMAMENT RESOLUTION TO A VOTE ON FRIDAY
- Date: 8th November 2002
- Summary: (W6)NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (FILE) (REUTERS) SLV UNITED NATIONS
- Embargoed: 23rd November 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES / UNITED NATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: General,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA8VUPCBM1CP0865PQ5KOLJ9TBX
- Story Text: After weeks of intense negotiations, the U.S says it plans to bring its Iraqi disarmament resolution to a vote in the U.N Security Council on Friday.
In yet another intense round of negotiations, the U.N Security Council met again on Wednesday morning (November 6, 2002), trying to hammer out the final wording for a resolution outlining a roadmap to disarm Iraq of weapons of mass destruction.
The U.N's chief weapons inspector Hans Blix was at the closed door meeting, detailing what wording he needs in the controversial resolution in order to give his team maximum support for the mission.
Under the new resolution, co-sponsored by the U.S and U.K, inspectors are to get sweeping new powers and report major violations by Iraq, after which the Security Council would meet to immediately "consider" the situation. But the resolution keeps the same timeline as the previous version, stipulating that Iraq has to accept the terms of the measure within seven days after adoption. Baghdad then has to declare within 30 days all weapons of mass destruction programmes and related materials including items that could also be used for civilian purposes.
Blix has said he is opposed to such a short period of time for the Iraqis to reveal all, arguing 30 days is simply not long enough for such a complicated issue. After this morning's negotiations, Blix told reporters "I made the point on the point on the 30 days that to declare a programme of a whole petro-chemical industry might be difficult to put together in 30 days, that remark still stays there."
Ambassadors will now take the wording of the revised American and British resolution to their capitals, and continue talks tomorrow.
U.S diplomats have said they want to push the resolution to a final vote on Friday (November 8).
U.K Ambassador, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, commented, "We will now want to move forward to discussions tomorrow when all council members have instructions from their capitals, but we are close to the point when we want decisions from all members of the council on the propositions that we are putting."
The new resolution threatens Iraq with "serious consequences" (generally diplomatic speak for military aggression) and says that non compliance with the disarmament demands would constitute a "material breach" of the Gulf War ceasefire resolution. In previous discussions, some members of the Security Council, like France, Russia and China, have had concerns about the "material breach" language, arguing it gives Washington a "hidden trigger" to begin a war on Iraq at any given moment.
Speaking to reporters, U.S Ambassador John Negroponte clarified the American position, arguing it is not gunning for war, but rather disarmament of Iraq. Negroponte said, "There has been a lot of talk over the last few weeks over so called 'hidden triggers' that somehow this resolution intended to be used by the United States as a pretext for the use of force.
President Bush has said on repeated occasions that as far as he is concerned the use of force, war, would be a last resort, that he wants to give the United Nations and the Security Council a chance and we believe the resolution that we the co-sponsors laid down this morning is the best way to achieve the disarmament of Iraq by peaceful means obviously if Iraq complies fully with those obligations."
The draft resolution now being hotly debated is the third U.S version circulating the council in the past few weeks. In order to pass, it will need a minimum of nine out of 15 votes for adoption and of course no veto from any of the five permanent members (France, Russia, China, U.K and U.S).
Rather than threaten any veto, France at one point had enough support to deny the U.S the nine non permanent member votes. But, Washington has since chipped away, gaining the support of doubters Mexico and Mauritius, diplomats claim.
France is now urging unanimity in the council, with Ambassador Jean David Levitte, saying, "If the council this time is divided then the mission given to the inspectors will be much more difficult, so our stated goal is really to be unanimous if possible and we will do whatever possible to reach that goal. We will meet tomorrow for new consultations, we ask all members for flexibility, for openness and I think we all share that goal of unanimity."
The weapons inspectors, who have been out of Iraq for nearly four years, would resume their work within 30 days after any adoption of the resolution and report back to the council within 60 days. - Copyright Holder: FILE REUTERS (CAN SELL)
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