Iraq Says U.N. Plan Is Pretext for War

The new U.N. resolution on weapons inspections could turn ``inaccurate statements (among) thousands of pages'' of required Iraqi reports into a supposed justification for military action, Foreign Minister Naji Sabri complained in a letter to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

``There is premeditation to target Iraq, whatever the pretext,'' Sabri said.

The foreign minister's lengthy letter, a point-by-point commentary on the Security Council resolution, was not expected to affect the inspections, which resume Wednesday after a four-year suspension. Iraq had accepted the resolution in a Nov. 13 letter from Sabri to Annan.

Preparations moved steadily ahead on Baghdad's outskirts Sunday, where technicians at the U.N. inspection center worked to establish a ``hot line'' connection with liaisons in the Iraqi government.

A new focus on Iraq by the Bush administration led to adoption of Resolution 1441 and the dispatch of inspectors back to Iraq with greater powers of unrestricted access to suspected weapons sites. Washington alleges Iraq retains some prohibited weapons and may be producing others.

The resolution, adopted unanimously Nov. 7, demands the Iraqis give up any chemical, biological or nuclear weapons, or face ``serious consequences.''

It requires Iraq to submit an accounting by Dec. 8 of its weapons programs, as well as of chemical, biological and nuclear programs it claims are peaceful. Any ``false statements or omissions'' in that declaration could contribute to a finding it had committed a ``material breach'' of the resolution -- a finding that might lead to military action.

The Bush administration has threatened war to enforce Iraqi disarmament, with or without U.N. sanction. But other governments, including those of France, Russia and China, say that decision can be made only by the Security Council.

Sabri's letter, dated Saturday and released Sunday, complained that a key passage on providing documentation is unjust, ``because it considers the giving of inaccurate statements -- taking into consideration that there are thousands of pages to be presented in those statements -- is a material breach.''

Sabri wrote that the aim was clear: ``to provide pretexts ... to be used in aggressive acts against Iraq.''

After talks with the Iraqis last week, chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said they had expressed ``particular concern'' about what was expected of them in reporting on their chemical industry, a complex area in which many toxic products can be diverted to military use.

Sabri also complained that the resolution gives the inspectors ``unjust power'' like ``conducting interviews with citizens inside the country without the presence of a representative of their government or asking them to leave their country with their families for interviews or demanding lists of the names of all scientists and researchers and removing equipment without notifying the Iraqi government.''

Sabri complained of what he called arbitrary powers being granted to inspectors, including ``meeting people inside their country without the presence of a representative of their government, or asking them to leave the country with their families to meet (for interviews) abroad.''

In notifying Annan of Iraq's acceptance of Resolution 1441, Sabri had advised the U.N. chief he would follow with this second letter commenting on supposed violations of international law and other problems with the resolution.

The Iraqi official urged that Security Council member nations ensure that the weapons inspectors are committed ``to their obligations according to the U.N. charter and ... the United Nations' goals.'' If they do so, he wrote, they will ``uncover the false U.S. accusations.''
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/international/AP-Iraq-Weapons-Inspectors.html