World

The Consequences Of Defiance?

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

August 6, 1998 / 7:59 PM EDT / CBS

In Baghdad, a U.N. team was prevented from conducting its inspections while Chief Weapons Inspector Richard Butler briefed the Security Council on Iraq's refusal to cooperate.

Afterwards, reports CBS News National Security Correspondent David Martin, U.S. ambassador Bill Richardson sounded as though the U.N. is taking a hard line.

"The Security Council has deemed the Iraqi action totally unacceptable," said Mr. Richardson.

However, Secretary General Kofi Annan suggested the U.N. should listen carefully to Iraq's complaints.

"It might be helpful to engage the Iraqis much more closely that we have hitherto done," said Mr. Annan.

Then he suggested the U.N. should rethink weapons inspections and economic sanctions -- the twin pillars of a policy, which for seven years has kept Saddam Hussein bottled up in Baghdad.

"Maybe the time has come for all of us to stand back and...make a comprehensive reassessment of where we are, where we are going and how...get there," said Mr. Annan.

President Clinton vowed to block any attempt to relax the sanctions, but so far the U.S. is avoiding threats of military force if Iraq does not comply with the inspections.

"We are not going to be goaded by Iraq or any other irresponsible nation into taking action," said Ambassador Richardson.

It's still too early to know how this is going to come out. However, based on the first few days, it looks like the consequences of defying the U.N. aren't what they used to be.