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U.K. Rejects French Plan Over Iraqi Arms Inspections (Update3)
By James Kirkup
London, Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and the U.K. rejected a French plan to boost the United Nations inspection team in Iraq in order to avert war as the European Union planned an emergency summit to heal divisions in the trading bloc.
France, backed by Russia and Germany, yesterday asked for the number of UN weapons experts in Iraq to be tripled and their work to be prolonged in a bid to disarm Hussein's regime peacefully.
``It's more compliance, immediate compliance which is the key, not more inspectors,'' U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. Failure to deal with Iraq now would have ``disastrous consequences,'' Straw said. The U.S. believes ``those proposals are off the mark, do not address disarmament and are nonstarters,'' said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Divisions between the 15 members of the EU prompted Greece, which holds the rotating EU presidency, to call an emergency summit in Brussels on Monday. Eight European countries led by EU members Britain, Spain and Italy appealed last month for Europe to unite behind the U.S.
Tensions were underlined yesterday when France and Germany, together with Belgium, vetoed proposals to equip North Atlantic Treaty Organization member Turkey with missiles to defend itself against a possible attack by neighboring Iraq, a move U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called ``inexcusable.''
``The principle is that you must not go to war before you've turned every stone'' to try to find a peaceful solution, Reinhard Hesse, an adviser to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, told the British Broadcasting Corp. ``It might require some time. It might require more effort. The inspections might need to be enforced to come to a peaceful disarmament of the regime.''
Oil Price Rise
Brent crude, the benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, has risen 55 percent in the past year, in part on investors' concerns about a war in the Middle East, source of a third of the world's supply.
During the 1991 Gulf War, Hussein ordered more than 700 of 1,000 oil wells destroyed in Kuwait as his army retreated, a disaster that took 18 months and about $20 billion to repair. U.S. officials estimated a similar move in Iraq would cost $30 billion to $50 billion.
Some members of Britain's ruling Labour party have said the U.S. wants war with Iraq in order to seize control of its oil reserves. Not so, said Straw.
``In the event of military action, Iraq's oil fields would be protected from any acts of environmental terrorism, and the revenue generated would be used to benefit the Iraqi people,'' he said.
U.S., U.K. Skepticism
A ``thousand-fold'' increase in the number of inspectors in Iraq won't ensure Hussein meets UN demands, Straw said.
U.S. President George W. Bush dismissed the idea yesterday, saying ``a country which is disarming really needs one or two inspectors to verify'' it.
``The very fact that nations like Germany, France and Belgium would even talk about the need for more inspectors points out the very problem that Saddam Hussein is not cooperating,'' Fleischer said earlier today.
France, Germany and Russia, members of the Security Council, said in a statement yesterday they are ``determined to allow every opportunity for the peaceful disarmament of Iraq.'' Their ambassadors will present their proposal to the other Security Council members today. Chinese President Jiang Zemin told French President Jacques Chirac that China supports the French, German and Russian position.
An adviser to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said 11 of the 15 member states of the United Nations' Security Council back Germany's stance on extending weapons inspections in Iraq.
Mirage Planes
France offered use of its Mirage IV reconnaissance planes to the weapons inspectors. The planes were used during the fighting in Afghanistan.
Referring to international differences over Iraq, Straw noted that the UN resolution authorizing inspections was passed unanimously by the council, including France and Russia.
The resolution ``repeated the guilty verdict on Iraq,'' he said. ``Iraq was found guilty 12 years ago'' by the UN following its invasion of Kuwait.
Since then, Straw said, Iraq has continued to break UN rules by holding chemical and biological weapons. ``Weapons of mass destruction are the central pillar of Saddam's regime,'' Straw said, accusing the Iraqi leader of ``relentlessly'' seeking nuclear arms too.
Iraq's weapons and leadership make it a ``unique'' and ``grave threat'' to international security,'' Straw said, since it may pass its weapons to terrorist groups.
``If terrorists can obtain these weapons, they will,'' he said, adding that the ``most likely source is rogue regimes'' led by Iraq.
U.K. Rejects French Plan Over Iraqi Arms Inspections (Update3)
By James Kirkup
London, Feb. 11 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. and the U.K. rejected a French plan to boost the United Nations inspection team in Iraq in order to avert war as the European Union planned an emergency summit to heal divisions in the trading bloc.
France, backed by Russia and Germany, yesterday asked for the number of UN weapons experts in Iraq to be tripled and their work to be prolonged in a bid to disarm Hussein's regime peacefully.
``It's more compliance, immediate compliance which is the key, not more inspectors,'' U.K. Foreign Secretary Jack Straw told the International Institute of Strategic Studies in London. Failure to deal with Iraq now would have ``disastrous consequences,'' Straw said. The U.S. believes ``those proposals are off the mark, do not address disarmament and are nonstarters,'' said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.
Divisions between the 15 members of the EU prompted Greece, which holds the rotating EU presidency, to call an emergency summit in Brussels on Monday. Eight European countries led by EU members Britain, Spain and Italy appealed last month for Europe to unite behind the U.S.
Tensions were underlined yesterday when France and Germany, together with Belgium, vetoed proposals to equip North Atlantic Treaty Organization member Turkey with missiles to defend itself against a possible attack by neighboring Iraq, a move U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called ``inexcusable.''
``The principle is that you must not go to war before you've turned every stone'' to try to find a peaceful solution, Reinhard Hesse, an adviser to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, told the British Broadcasting Corp. ``It might require some time. It might require more effort. The inspections might need to be enforced to come to a peaceful disarmament of the regime.''
Oil Price Rise
Brent crude, the benchmark for two-thirds of the world's oil, has risen 55 percent in the past year, in part on investors' concerns about a war in the Middle East, source of a third of the world's supply.
During the 1991 Gulf War, Hussein ordered more than 700 of 1,000 oil wells destroyed in Kuwait as his army retreated, a disaster that took 18 months and about $20 billion to repair. U.S. officials estimated a similar move in Iraq would cost $30 billion to $50 billion.
Some members of Britain's ruling Labour party have said the U.S. wants war with Iraq in order to seize control of its oil reserves. Not so, said Straw.
``In the event of military action, Iraq's oil fields would be protected from any acts of environmental terrorism, and the revenue generated would be used to benefit the Iraqi people,'' he said.
U.S., U.K. Skepticism
A ``thousand-fold'' increase in the number of inspectors in Iraq won't ensure Hussein meets UN demands, Straw said.
U.S. President George W. Bush dismissed the idea yesterday, saying ``a country which is disarming really needs one or two inspectors to verify'' it.
``The very fact that nations like Germany, France and Belgium would even talk about the need for more inspectors points out the very problem that Saddam Hussein is not cooperating,'' Fleischer said earlier today.
France, Germany and Russia, members of the Security Council, said in a statement yesterday they are ``determined to allow every opportunity for the peaceful disarmament of Iraq.'' Their ambassadors will present their proposal to the other Security Council members today. Chinese President Jiang Zemin told French President Jacques Chirac that China supports the French, German and Russian position.
An adviser to German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said 11 of the 15 member states of the United Nations' Security Council back Germany's stance on extending weapons inspections in Iraq.
Mirage Planes
France offered use of its Mirage IV reconnaissance planes to the weapons inspectors. The planes were used during the fighting in Afghanistan.
Referring to international differences over Iraq, Straw noted that the UN resolution authorizing inspections was passed unanimously by the council, including France and Russia.
The resolution ``repeated the guilty verdict on Iraq,'' he said. ``Iraq was found guilty 12 years ago'' by the UN following its invasion of Kuwait.
Since then, Straw said, Iraq has continued to break UN rules by holding chemical and biological weapons. ``Weapons of mass destruction are the central pillar of Saddam's regime,'' Straw said, accusing the Iraqi leader of ``relentlessly'' seeking nuclear arms too.
Iraq's weapons and leadership make it a ``unique'' and ``grave threat'' to international security,'' Straw said, since it may pass its weapons to terrorist groups.
``If terrorists can obtain these weapons, they will,'' he said, adding that the ``most likely source is rogue regimes'' led by Iraq.