U.N. secretary-general Kofi Annan told a press conference on Wednesday that it would be in Iraq’s interest to allow U.N. inspectors back in to finish their disarmament job. "Iraq will have to understand that it has to begin responding to the security council resolutions, particularly the return of the U.N. inspectors," Annan said. "I don’t see any signal that the inspectors are about to go back to Iraq but we also live in a world where unpredictable things happen…I think we need to come back to it next year," he commented.
All Iraq’s friends, he added, have encouraged them to respond and allow the inspectors to go back. According to KUNA, Annan stated when he saw Iraq’s foreign minister Naji Sabri last month during the assembly’s general debate, "he had nothing new to tell me. But I think the pressure is on them to respond to the council’s request to return the
inspectors," he declared.
On the prospects of widening the war against terrorism to include Iraq, the secretary-general said it would be "unwise" to attack Iraq now.
"I haven’t seen any evidence linking Iraq to what happened on the 11th of September. Any attempt to do that can exacerbate the situation and raise tensions in a region which is already on the strain because of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict," he cited.
Middle East Situation
On the issue of the Middle East, Annan said chairman Arafat needs to have the right climate to carry out his responsibility and contain "extremist" acts emanating from his territory. "The Israeli side has to help create the condition that would allow chairman Arafat to do this," he stressed. Annan mentioned Arafat had indicated to him in their discussions how difficult it is for him to carry out those functions if bombing and shelling is going on and the police cannot move around.
The real solution, he added, "is not accusation and counter accusations but a creative and sustained effort to get the parties to the table to begin a political dialogue." On the Arab group’s decision to reconvene the general assembly’s special session on the Palestinian issue Thursday afternoon after their resolution was vetoed in the council last week, Annan said "one cannot prevent them" from doing that. The assembly meeting, diplomats predicted, will be just one session to hear a few speeches and vote on the same resolution the u.s. vetoed in the council last week. (Albawaba.com)
