U.N. Upholds Sanctions On Iraq

The United Nations Security Council agreed Monday to maintain sanctions against Iraq but postponed action on calls by Russia and others to scale back wide-ranging inspections of Iraqi nuclear facilities.

Council President Hisashi Owada of Japan told reporters "there was no consensus" to modify the sanctions. No vote was taken.

"Sanctions will not be lifted because Iraq has not complied," U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson said. "That was the result of the Security Council review."

But the United States came under strong pressure from Russia, France, China and others to have the council formally acknowledge Iraq's progress in nuclear disarmament, a move that would effectively cut back inspections of nuclear facilities.

U.N. arms inspectors must certify that Iraq has destroyed all its illegal weapons, including long-range missiles and chemical, nuclear and biological arms, before the council will lift sanctions imposed in 1990 after President Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait.

Despite the favorable IAEA report, the U.N. Special Commission, which searches for the other weapons, reported recently it had made "virtually no progress" over the last six months in verifying Iraqi compliance.

The review is the first since Iraq signed a deal last February with Secretary-General Kofi Annan to open all sites, including presidential compounds, to U.N. arms inspectors. That reduced for the moment the threat of a U.S.-led military strike.

Russia circulated a draft resolution saying Iraq has fully cooperated with U.N. inspectors on nuclear issues but would still be subject to inspections if the International Atomic Energy Agency receives more information about its clandestine program.

Richardson acknowledged that Iraq had made progress in dismantling its nuclear weapons program but said it was too early to lift economic sanctions or reduce arms inspections.

Owada said he could not predict when the council would decide on the Russian proposal but said he expected it soon.

In Baghdad, Lt. Gen. Amer al-Saadi, a senior adviser to Saddam, said Iraq's future relations with the United Nations would depend on what action the council took. He refused to elaborate.

The council adjourned its consultations Monday afternoon to hear a personal appeal by Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf to end the sanctions.

Al-Sahhaf repeated Iraqi claims that Baghdad had complied with U.N. orders but that the United States and Britain are manipulating the inspection program to maintan sanctions indefinitely.

Al-Sahhaf's meeting with the council marks the first time that a senior Iraqi official of Cabinet rank has appeared before the entire 15-member council to make such an appeal.

Although Iraq was never believed to have actually produced nuclear weapons, Baghdad maintained an advanced nuclear research program which experts believe was on the verge of building a bomb before the Gulf War.

But U.S. officials are concerned that declaring the issue of Iraq's nuclear capabilities over might step up international pressure to end the sanctions prematurely.

By Robert H. Reid.
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