U.N. Adopts New Iraq Resolution

[nycmuzik]

By EDITH LEDERER

Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The Security Council unanimously approved a tough new Iraq resolution Friday, aimed at forcing Saddam Hussein to disarm or face ``serious consequences'' that would almost certainly mean war.

The vote came after eight weeks of tumultuous negotiations and was seen as a victory for the United States, which drafted the resolution together with Britain.

President Bush immediately went to the White House Rose Garden to warn Saddam Hussein the comply at once.

The unanimous vote came as a surprise with support coming even from Syria, Iraq's neighbor.

In remarks after the vote, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said, ``This resolution is designed to test Iraq's intentions.''

The broad support sends a strong message to Baghdad that the Security Council — divided for years over Iraq — expects full compliance with all U.N. resolutions.

``His cooperation must be prompt and unconditional or he will face severest consequences,'' Bush said in the White House Rose Garden.

Secretary General Kofi Annan said Baghdad should comply for the sake of the Iraqi people.

``Iraq has a new opportunity to comply with all these relevant resolutions of the Security Council. I urge the Iraqi leadership for sake of its own people...to seize this opportunity and thereby begin to end the isolation and suffering of the Iraqi people.''

Iraqi television did not broadcast the Security Council meeting live and there was no immediate reaction from Baghdad.

A breakthrough in negotiations came Thursday when France and the United States reached a critical agreement to address French concerns that the resolution could automatically trigger an attack on Iraq.

``This resolution is a success for the Security Council and the United Nations,'' said France's U.N. Ambassador Jean-David Levitte. ``This success must now become a success for peace.''

But Iraq ``must understand that this opportunity is the final one,'' he said.

Negroponte said the resolution gives international inspectors broad authority to look for Iraq's weapons of mass destruction — to check ``anyone, anywhere, anytime.''

There are ``no hidden triggers'' for the automatic use of force against Iraq if it does not comply with the resolution, Negroponte said, emphasizing that should the inspectors report Iraqi violations, the matter would return to the Security Council. The resolution, he said, is ``a new powerful mandate'' for the weapons inspectors.

``This resolution does not constrain any member state from acting to defend itself from the threat posed by Iraq.... to the government of Iraq our message is simple: non-compliance is no longer an option,'' he said.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, was preparing to send an advance team to Iraq within two weeks, after a nearly four-year absence.

While the United States made some major concessions to critics, the final draft still meets the Bush administration's key demands: toughening U.N. weapons inspections and leaving the United States free to take military action against Iraq if inspectors say Baghdad isn't complying.

At the same time, it gives Saddam ``a final opportunity'' to cooperate with weapons inspectors, holds out the possibility of lifting 12-year-old sanctions imposed after Iraq's 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and reaffirms the country's sovereignty.

Washington and London spent eight weeks trying to get all 15 Security Council members to approve the resolution to send a united message to Saddam.

The United States had tweaked its draft several times to account for French and Russian concerns over hidden triggers that could automatically launch an attack on Iraq.

In a key provision that would declare Iraq in ``material breach'' of its U.N. obligations, the United States changed wording that would have let Washington determine on its own whether Iraq had committed an infraction.

The new wording requires U.N. weapons inspectors to make an assessment of any Iraqi violations.

Iraqi state media called the draft resolution a pretext for war and urged the Security Council Thursday not to bow to American demands.

``America wants to use this resolution as a pretext and a cover for its aggression on Iraq and the whole Arab nation,'' the ruling Baath Party newspaper Al-Thawra said Thursday.

According to a strict timeline in the resolution, Iraq would have seven days to accept the resolution's terms and 30 days to declare all its chemical, biological and nuclear programs. Blix, the chief weapons inspector, said Iraq might have difficulty making a declaration of its large petrochemical industry in that time, but the United States decided against giving Baghdad more time.

Blix has said an advance team of inspectors would be on the ground within 10 days. Inspectors would have up to 45 days to actually begin work, and must report to the council 60 days later on Iraq's performance.

Inspectors will have ``unconditional and unrestricted access'' to all sites, including eight presidential compounds where surprise inspections have been barred.

[sassa]

U.N. approves new Iraq resolution

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 8 — In a unanimous vote, the U.N. Security Council put Iraq on notice Friday that it must either disarm or face possible military action. The new resolution was welcomed by President Bush, who warned that Saddam Hussein now faces the “final test.” The vote was a significant diplomatic triumph for the United States, which struggled to overcome many objections to its resolution during eight weeks of deliberations.

IN A HASTILY arranged Rose Garden appearance moments after the 15-0 vote, a triumphant but sober Bush said, “The outcome of the current crisis is already determined. The full disarmament of weapons of mass destruction will occur. The only question for the Iraqi regime is to decide how.”

Bush, who spurred the council to action with a Sept. 12 speech to the U.N. General Assembly, kept up the pressure on allies.

“Now comes the hard part: The Security Council must maintain its unity and sense of purpose so that the Iraqi regime cannot revert to the strategies of obstruction and deception it used so successfully in the past,” he said.

The president, who has already won backing from the U.S. Congress for military action against Iraq, said Saddam must immediately comply with the new resolution. Otherwise, “he will face the severest consequences.”

Close ally, Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain, was equally blunt, warning that if Iraq defied the United Nations, “We will disarm you by force.”

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SWAYING SYRIA

The unanimous vote came as a surprise with support coming even from Syria, Iraq’s neighbor.

Washington and London spent eight weeks trying to get all 15 Security Council members to approve the resolution to send a united message to Saddam.

But Syria, Iraq’s Arab neighbor, had been out of reach until Friday.

Syria had wanted the vote delayed until after an Arab foreign ministers meeting in Cairo this weekend. But the United States won in the end, convincing the council to vote Friday.

According to state-owned SANA news agency, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell sent a letter to Syrian Foreign Affairs Minister Farouq al-Shara urging Damascus to join the other Security Council members in supporting the resolution.

“Mr. Powell stressed in a letter that the final form, after the amendments of Syria, France, Russia and others, gives Iraq a chance to comply with removing weapons of mass destruction peacefully,” SANA said.

“Powell said that the unanimous passage of this resolution would serve to avoid a future military confrontation,” it added.

IRAQ’S FIRST RESPONSE

In remarks after the vote, U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said, “This resolution is designed to test Iraq’s intentions.”

The broad support sends a strong message to Baghdad that the Security Council — divided for years over Iraq — expects full compliance with all U.N. resolutions.

Secretary General Kofi Annan said Baghdad should comply for the sake of the Iraqi people.

“Iraq has a new opportunity to comply with all these relevant resolutions of the Security Council. I urge the Iraqi leadership for sake of its own people...to seize this opportunity and thereby begin to end the isolation and suffering of the Iraqi people.”

Iraqi television did not broadcast the Security Council meeting live and there was no immediate reaction from Baghdad.

However, the country’s ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammed Al-Douri, offered a mixed response. He told the Associated Press that the government needed to study the resolution.

However, he told Reuters that he was pessimistic. “This resolution is crafted in such a way to prevent inspectors to return to Iraq,” he said.

Al-Douri said he was surprised by Syria’s support for the resolution but said Baghdad would not hold it against Damascus.

“I don’t blame anyone. We respect and understand all the votes,” he said, hinting that Iraq had also held out hope of a Russian abstention which never came.

BREAKTHROUGH THURSDAY

A breakthrough in negotiations came Thursday when France and the United States reached a critical agreement to address French concerns that the resolution could automatically trigger an attack on Iraq.

“This resolution is a success for the Security Council and the United Nations,” said France’s U.N. Ambassador Jean-David Levitte. “This success must now become a success for peace.”

But Iraq “must understand that this opportunity is the final one,” he said.

Negroponte said the resolution gives international inspectors broad authority to look for Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction — to check “anyone, anywhere, anytime.”

There are “no hidden triggers” for the automatic use of force against Iraq if it does not comply with the resolution, Negroponte said, emphasizing that should the inspectors report Iraqi violations, the matter would return to the Security Council. The resolution, he said, is “a new powerful mandate” for the weapons inspectors.

“This resolution does not constrain any member state from acting to defend itself from the threat posed by Iraq.... to the government of Iraq our message is simple: non-compliance is no longer an option,” he said.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, was preparing to send an advance team to Iraq within two weeks, after a nearly four-year absence.

U.S. CONCESSIONS

While the United States made some major concessions to critics, the final draft still meets the Bush administration’s key demands: toughening U.N. weapons inspections and leaving the United States free to take military action against Iraq if inspectors say Baghdad isn’t complying.

At the same time, it gives Saddam “a final opportunity” to cooperate with weapons inspectors, holds out the possibility of lifting 12-year-old sanctions imposed after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, and reaffirms the country’s sovereignty.

Washington and London spent eight weeks trying to get all 15 Security Council members to approve the resolution to send a united message to Saddam.

The United States had tweaked its draft several times to account for French and Russian concerns over hidden triggers that could automatically launch an attack on Iraq.

In a key provision that would declare Iraq in “material breach” of its U.N. obligations, the United States changed wording that would have let Washington determine on its own whether Iraq had committed an infraction.

The new wording requires U.N. weapons inspectors to make an assessment of any Iraqi violations.

STRICT TIMELINE

According to a strict timeline in the resolution, Iraq would have seven days to accept the resolution’s terms and 30 days to declare all its chemical, biological and nuclear programs. Blix, the chief weapons inspector, said Iraq might have difficulty making a declaration of its large petrochemical industry in that time, but the United States decided against giving Baghdad more time.

Blix has said an advance team of inspectors would be on the ground within 10 days. Inspectors would have up to 45 days to actually begin work, and must report to the council 60 days later on Iraq’s performance.

Inspectors will have “unconditional and unrestricted access” to all sites, including eight presidential compounds where surprise inspections have been barred.