UN Council Condemns Iraq's Decision

The UN Security Council has unanimously condemned Iraq's decision to cut off all dealings with UN weapons inspectors and is demanding that Baghdad reverse the decision immediately and unconditionally.

The council called today's announcement from Baghdad ``a flagrant violation'' of council resolutions and a memorandum of understanding between Iraq and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. That memo prevented military action against Iraq in February after another crisis over weapons inspections.

Defense Secretary William Cohen canceled a weeklong Asian tour Saturday to return to Washington and participate in Clinton administration discussions over the new standoff with Iraq.

``We consider it to be a serious breach of (Saddam Hussein's) pledge'' to the United Nations to allow inspections, Cohen told reporters during a refueling stop on Wake Island.

Iraq, Saturday, announced after a meeting chaired by President Saddam Hussein it was suspending all cooperation with the U.N. Special Commission, in charge of dismantling Iraq's biological, chemical and ballistic weapons. It said the handful of monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) could continue monitoring work.

The decision by Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his top advisers to cut off relations exempted only a handful of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency, who monitor suspected nuclear sites.

The Saturday Iraqi decision followed an August 5 ban by Baghdad on new spot inspections by both UNSCOM and the IAEA. Greenstock said members demanded that Iraq resume ``immediate, complete and unconditional cooperation'' with both disarmament agencies.

Charles Duelfer, UNSCOM's deputy executive chairman, told reporters Iraq's decision ``stops our ability to do any monitoring on the ground.'' He said UNSCOM was keeping its staff in Iraq in hopes Baghdad would change its mind but ``we have to wait and see how they respond to the council's actions today.''