[Peace-discuss] Hans Blix vs the US: 'I was undermined'

[patton paul]

Hans Blix vs the US: 'I was undermined'
By David Usborne in New York

23 April 2003

For the first time since the toppling of Saddam Hussein, Hans Blix, the
chief UN weapons inspector, confronted the Americans openly yesterday,
accusing the Bush administration of lacking credibility in its efforts to
hunt down Iraq's banned weapons.

Mr Blix, 74, derided by Washington for his failure to find the "smoking
gun" that would have convinced the UN to give legal backing to the war,
also accused Washington and Britain of deliberately undermining his
efforts before the war.

He warned the Security Council that only UN inspectors, and not the teams
being assembled by America, would be able to provide an objective
assessment of any materials that might be found in Iraq.

Mr Blix spoke out as the diplomatic blood-letting seen in the run-up to
the conflict risked resurfacing with the first full discussion by the
Council on the next steps in Iraq.

The Council's members sparred openly over the role of the UN in
identifying weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. And Mr Blix, who could
now be the biggest obstacle to the removal of sanctions, which George Bush
is seeking, rubbed salt in the wounds. London and Washington had built the
case for invading Iraq on "very, very shaky" evidence, he said. He
referred to documents alleging that Iraq had imported uranium for nuclear
weapons from Niger that he later revealed to have been faked.

"I think it's been one of the disturbing elements that so much of the
intelligence on which the capitals built their case seemed to have been
shaky," he said, hinting that Britain the US might have allowed the
information to surface to undermine inspections.

Mr Blix would not rule out that evidence of banned weapons might yet be
uncovered. But he added that it was "conspicuous that so far [US
inspectors] have not stumbled upon anything evident". He cautioned the
Americans to "examine everything critically", noting that some Iraqis
might be motivated to claim more than they knew.

Even in Washington, officials spoke of fears that inspectors deployed by
the US might never find evidence of weapons of mass destruction that
constituted the main political justification for invading Iraq. US
officials are worrying out loud that Iraqi agents might have been able to
destroy incriminating materials in the days of chaos that followed the
taking of Baghdad. Senior officials believe the US military might have
contributed to the difficulties by failing to secure potential weapons or
intelligence sites during the frenzied looting.

The new standoff in the Security Council is about whether UN inspectors,
told to pack their bags and leave Iraq 24 hours before the first bombs
fell on Baghdad, should be sent back in to identify any weapons finds now
being made. The US, determined to keep the anti-war camp out of the
decisions on Iraq's future, stands alone in resisting calls from other
members, notably Russia, to send UN inspectors back.

The role of Mr Blix is directly linked to the issue of when UN sanctions
on Iraq can be lifted. President Bush asked the UN last week to end the
sanctions. But Russia has argued strongly that under UN resolutions,
sanctions can only be lifted once Iraq is certified as weapon-free and
that that can only be completed by Mr Blix.

Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said yesterday: "We are looking
forward, not backward. Saddam Hussein's regime is gone, and we will need
to reassess the framework design to disarm the regime given the new facts
on the ground." In a sideswipe at Mr Blix he said: "I think it's
unfortunate if Hans Blix would in any way criticize the US at this
juncture. The US is working with Iraqis to build a new country for them."

Peter King, a Republican congressman, flatly dismissed Mr Blix's claims,
accusing him of "manipulating evidence".

John Negroponte, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said: "For the
time being, and for the foreseeable future, we visualize that
[inspections] as being a coalition activity," he said. "The coalition has
assumed responsibility for disarming of Iraq."

This puts the US directly at odds with the remaining members of the
Security Council. Even Britain is making behind-the-scenes efforts to
argue the case for giving Mr Blix a role in looking for weapons and
certifying that they have been eradicated or do not exist. France took
other members by surprise by asking for an immediate suspension of UN
sanctions on Iraq. That move may be designed to mend fences with
Washington, which has also called for an end to the sanctions. But France
is also insisting on the return of UN inspectors.

Mr Blix, who is said to be livid that the US is assembling its own
inspection teams, said: "We may not be the only ones in the world who have
credibility, but I do think we have credibility for being objective and
independent."