This Just In: Iraq Concedes to Inspections...

[Chris 62]

That is a giant Own Goal, around here, anti-Bush is the way, doesn't matter who the opposition is.

[JCG]

Saddam just wants a little time to finish one of his secret projects or two...

[MarkG]

Iraq OKs Inspectors; U.S. Skeptical
Tue Sep 17,12:47 PM ET

By DAFNA LINZER, Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Under the threat of U.S. military action and pressure from Arab states, Iraq has agreed to admit U.N. weapons inspectors without conditions

....

"I am pleased to inform you of the decision of the Government of the Republic of Iraq to allow the return of the United Nations ( news - web sites) weapons inspectors to Iraq without conditions," said a letter signed by Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri and delivered to Annan late Monday.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor..._mi_ea/un_iraq


were are those conditions??

[MarkG]

cnn

UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- U.N. weapons inspectors say they're ready to go back into Iraq immediately -- now that Baghdad says it will allow them to return "without condition."

http://europe.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/mea....un/index.html

do we have a :idonthavealinkbuthereswhatithinkiheard: smiley?

[walruskkkch]

It's a story from the Evening standard News London. Today. Arab league spokesman haave clarified Iraq's position to not include any non military sites so as to speed up the inspections.

[Ming]

Originally posted by walruskkkch
Arab league spokesman haave clarified Iraq's position to not include any non military sites so as to speed up the inspections.

Speed up the inspections...

[GePap]

Touche for MarkG!

Already the Russians said that they welcomed the Iraqi move, and the French continue to insist on two resolutions, not one, the first that would ask for Iraq toi let them back in, and then a later one, if the offer was denied, to spell out the world reaction. NOw that Iraq gave in the letter, I fail to see why the French would give in to the US. Also, the Arab league probably had a hand in writting the letter, so I fail to see that it will have anything immidiate that will bring suspicion form those undecided states (US,UK response immaterial, since they want war anyway)

[walruskkkch]

Here is the link to the story.

[MarkG]

Arab league spokesman = official Iraqi position???

[walruskkkch]

It was the guy who brokered the deal to begin with. Alright I will concede it's not the "Official" position, but it will be the one that Saddam will follow through on in his attempt to distract the UN and try to save his weapons programs.

[Chris 62]

Can't find what walrus said, but this is interesting:

Only after the satisfactory conclusion of these talks would inspectors and their back-up staff start moving in to Baghdad, he said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2263162.stm

Which is basically another attempt to stall and place conditions on the inspectors.

[DinoDoc]

Ali Muhsen Hamid claimed Iraq was being sincere, but he stipulated that civilian sites would not be available to the inspectors. "We support anywhere, any military site (for inspections), but not as some people have suggested for inspections against hospitals, against schools."

http://www.thisislondon.com/dynamic/...text_id=671535

[walruskkkch]

It is a link to the front page, can't figure out why it didn't go to the direct story. The Story is the "war with Iraq" link.

[GePap]

From NYTimes:

U.S. officials least impressed with Saddam's offer of renewed inspections are those most convinced that inspections are not the answer.

I may say the same applies to many posters.

As I said, the Arab league helped writte this letter since they don't wan't war in Iraq, so no one should be surprised if the Aab league helps 'explain' the Iraqi position. I also fail to see what pressure Bush will bring to bare on Russia or France now: the Russians have gone as far as to say that no new resoltuions are even necessary, since they already have ones from 1999 and Iraq just said yes. This war wil still go on, its been decided already (Administration denials aside), but the UN route has just been made much harder. I don't know the outcome, but it won't be what the admin wanted: this is what they get for playing the 'we care for the UN' game. Come on, this admin would repeal the UN if they could.

[Chris 62]

Here is the letter Iraq sent to the UN, with more stalls:

To this end, the Government of the Republic of Iraq is ready to discuss the practical arrangements necessary for the immediate resumption of inspections.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2263455.stm

Does anybody outside of the silly anti-US crowd believe these bozos?

[DinoDoc]

GePap: I would be all for an unconditional resumption of inspections if that was what is actually being offered.

[Bereta_Eder]

moneypenny, would you like a banana?

[DinoDoc]

Take it to the coffeshop and pick up your drink order while you're there.

[Pekka]

DinoDoc, is it so? Oh my God I got it soooo wrong.. but my version is still pretty good .

[Bereta_Eder]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
Take it to the coffeshop and pick up your drink order while you're there.

OK.

[Pekka]

OMG! Castro looks like Beneficio del Toro! Old version.

[SpencerH]

The point is its not about inspectors, its about convincing the "fence sitters" in congress. Bush has gone to the UN simply to appease those congressmen who doubt the correctness of war with Iraq. If he had such support there would be fighting already. Is it really important what "Pulmukistan" thinks about this issue? Should we all sit around and have a group hug? Iraq has not complied with the UN disarmament in 10 years why would anyone believe they'll do so now? Its a delaying tactic, and everyone knows it. If Iraq can delay the attack until it has a tactical nuke then its won.

[Fitz]

Originally posted by Chris 62
Does anybody outside of the silly anti-US crowd believe these bozos?

I believe it is still far superior to a instant Bush led invasion. Warmongers should not be in charge of wars, especially when they have a vendetta to pursue.

[Chris 62]

Did someone say France changed it's postion?
Not according to the French foriegn minister:

France's Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said the council "must now hold Saddam Hussein to his word".

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/2263027.stm

Mandela's comments are the most interesting, the more he speaks, the more I beileve this man is far from "great", but in reality is a petty and bitter little man.

[GePap]

Originally posted by DinoDoc
GePap: I would be all for an unconditional resumption of inspections if that was what is actually being offered.

I don't doubt the Iraqis will fudge: they always do. To a certain point they have the right to. In 1994, 3 years into the inspections, the inspectors told the UN 90% of their work was done. 4 years later they were still there. 3 years, 90%, 4 years, they could not do the other 10%? Unconditional access is somewaht absurd and dishonest, since to a certain extent, all the inspectors have to do to keep the regime going on indefenitelly, is ask to see anything in Iraq, and then claim Iraq is hinding something if they say no, and they don't really have to show evidence to do so: "hey, that nursery might hide SCUDS under the swings, we need to look!' The type of restrictions the iraqis may want to impose might very well be dishonest, but so is asking for fully unconditional access everywhere, no limits.

The admin wants war, they have from the start. bush went to the UN and called himslef a champion for UN honor as a way of gaining massive support for when Saddam acted like an idiot and said no. Well, Iraq didn't act ike an idiot, and said yes.

Did someone say France changed it's postion?
Not according to the French foriegn minister:

The thing is Chris, that having two resolutions, as the French want, works just as well, if your aim is to get Saddam to follow his word, with no time table attached. You make one resolution demanding Saddam follow all previous ones. If Saddam doesn't, then you writte a second allowing force. The same outcome, forcing Saddam to keep his word, just as the french said. The difference is that Bush and the admin have crated a war schedule in which we have to be at war by the end of the year. The French way could postpone any war by several month (the french don't care about this) and thus the admin. opposes it vehemently.

[chequita guevara]

Some thoughts.

A former weapons scientist from Iraq who defected eight years ago knows what Iraqs capacities are like today, after they were all destroyed by the inspectors. Somehow, in the past four years, despite the embargo, Hussein has been abl to recreate his nuclear weapons program from scratch and advance it past the place it was when he wasn't under an embargo and had Western help.

Hussein had previously agreed to a return of inpsectors, provided (IIRC) that there were no Americans involved. Given that the US was using the inspectors to spy on Iraq this is not an unreasonable request. The US delegitimized the inspection team, and then yanked them out on the eve of Clinton's Wag the Dog bombings.

Chris, since you are all fired up about the US forcing the UN to back up it's resolution, I assume you'll support an armed UN response if Israel doesn't agree to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their former homes now in Israel?

[walruskkkch]

Since Saddam is not above hiding SCUDS in nurseries then we have to be able to look there. Perhaps the reason the last 10% took so long and then ultimately stopped was because we were at the nitty gritty and actually at the sites where he was producing weapons.

[chequita guevara]

No, the production sites had all been destoyed. And Hussein never produced SCUDs, he bought them from the USSR and maybe China. The last ten percent was stuff like blueprints, the technical knowhow. Much of this, also, was destroyed. Towards the end mainly what UNSCOM was uncovering was the hiding locations of Hussein himself. Which is why the Iraqis were getting cagier and cagier towards the end, especially given that the CIA was bugging the inspection team and that the US had made noises about assassinating Hussein. It makes sense that the Iraqis were really nervous about letting UNSCOM uncover that info.

[Chris 62]

"Chris, since you are all fired up about the US forcing the UN to back up it's resolution, I assume you'll support an armed UN response if Israel doesn't agree to allow Palestinian refugees to return to their former homes now in Israel?"

And what resolution is that Che?
Right of return is something the Pals want, not something the UN ordered.
And since we are on that topic, where is the UN resolution condeming suicide bombing?

[MarkG]

hold it! did someone here support the enforcement of all UN resolutions?