BRIEFING BY FRED ECKHARD
SPOKESPERSON

UNITED NATIONS
Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary General

August 2, 2002

Excerpts

**Iraq

Good afternoon.  The Secretary-General last night received a letter from Iraq's Foreign Minister, Naji Sabri, inviting chief United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix and members of his team to Iraq "at the earliest agreed upon time" for a round of technical talks on remaining disarmament issues.

While he welcomes the letter, which is in line with the agreement to maintain contact, including continuing discussions on technical matters, the procedure proposed is at variance with the one laid down by the Security Council in its resolution of l999.

The Secretary-General promptly shared the letter with members of the Council and looks forward to discussing it with them when he meets with them over lunch on Monday.

. . .

**Questions and Answers

Question:  Going back to the Secretary-General's reaction to the Iraq letter, when you quote him as saying that the procedure is at variance with the one laid down by the Security Council, the procedure for what?

Spokesman:  The resolution in question, 1284, in paragraph 7, describes the procedure for establishing what remains to be done in the disarmament area.  It says that Iraq would first agree to readmit the weapons inspectors, they would conduct on-site inspections for a period of 60 days or within 60 days, they would then report back to the Security Council with a proposed programme of work, which the Council would have to then approve.  So that is the path laid down by the Council.

Question:  In discussing the issue on Monday during the luncheon, is it the Secretary-General's view that the Security Council needs to make the decision on this as to whether Blix could go -- that they're going to have to formally give him instructions to do this since it doesn't fall in line with the procedures, or will he separately seek their guidance and then make his own mind up afterwards?

Spokesman:  I think as the statement or what I've already said suggests, because this invitation is at variance with the Council resolution, he needs to bring it to the attention of the Council and they'll discuss it on Monday.  I don't want to say who's going to decide what after that discussion. 

Question:  On that basis, would you say he's declining this invitation or of a mind to decline it, because it is at odds with the Security Council resolution?

Spokesman:  He is calling it to the attention of the Council because they're the ones that prescribed the formula for the resumption of inspections.  I don't think you want to say he's predisposed one way or the other.  He wants to show it to them and get their reaction.

Question:  In Vienna, the Secretary-General said that technical talks could continue.  What does the Secretary-General see between the difference of what's been requested here and the technical talks that he said could continue after the Vienna talks?

Spokesman:  I don't quite understand that.

Question:  What's the difference with what the Iraqis are asking for here as far as ongoing negotiations or discussions and the technical talks that the Secretary-General himself said could continue in Vienna?  Why does this have to be looked over?

Spokesman:  I'm sorry.  I don't understand the thrust of the question.

Question:  The Secretary-General in Vienna, after that said he would not have high-level talks with the Iraqis, but he opened the door to the continuation of some form of technical talks.  In describing the offer in this letter, the Iraqis said this would be a continuation of technical talks.  So the Secretary-General is on the record as saying he will allow the continuation of technical talks.  They're putting this in the context of technical talks, so why wouldn't this be acceptable?

Spokesman:  You have to study the text of the letter.  I believe it's to be circulated as a document.  You can then look at what it is the Iraqis are saying that they would like to discuss.  I think when you get into that you'll get the answer to that question.

Question:  The letter says that Iraq would want to conduct a round of technical talks between Iraqi experts and the Chairman.

Spokesman:  Read on.

Question:  You want me to read the whole thing?  It goes on for a while.

Spokesman:  I'm trying not to answer the question.

Question:  Is it the fact that the venue is Baghdad that puts it at variance with the Security Council's instructions?

Spokesman:  No.  It's what is to be discussed.  Look at the letter.

Question:  What sort of technical talks did the Secretary-General have in mind in Vienna when he said technical contact should continue?

Spokesman:  The kinds of discussions that had taken place in really the first three rounds, but particularly in the second and the third rounds in New York and Vienna where high-level experts on both sides discussed aspects of disarmament, where it was primarily Dr. Blix who was explaining how UNMOVIC would work and how it intended to carry out its inspections, in the hope that any fears on the part of the Iraqis that these inspections would be abused for purposes they weren't intended for could be dispelled.  So he said if you want to have more talks on that, please feel free.

Question:  Just for the record, how did the United Nations inspection agency today handle this letter?  Did they have formal meetings and what's their current status should things suddenly escalate about bringing inspectors in?

Spokesman:  Of course they discussed it.  Dr. Blix discussed the letter with his senior people and he also discussed it with the Secretary-General.

Question:  Does this relate, for example, Blix has said that he cannot conduct comprehensive review until inspectors are back on the ground and evaluating what's been going on there since 1998.  So, therefore, if the Iraqis are asking for a comprehensive review when he goes there, he couldn't possibly do that because he needs to get the inspectors on the ground first.  Is that the procedure that the Secretary-General ...?

Spokesman:  You're going in the right direction.

Question:  The United States and Richard Butler, the former weapons chief, have speculated that this is stalling.  Would you have any comment that Iraq is still playing for time?

Spokesman:  You'll have to ask the Iraqis what's on their minds, but we're not speculating about that.

Question:  Are you planning to make Hans Blix available or is he planning to make himself available at some point during the day to answer questions from us?

Spokesman:  I don't think so.  He has his own spokesman, as you know, Ewen Buchanan, whose phone has been ringing off the hook all morning.  You're welcome to try and get through to him.  I'm sure he's grateful I said this now on the record.

Question:  On the issue that it calls for talks in Baghdad, what does that raise as far as concern on the Secretary-General's part as far as going forward?  Is that a sort of procedure that you would follow to go to Baghdad?

Spokesman:  I don't want to get into that.  The matter is now being handed over to the Security Council for consideration.  The Secretary-General will discuss it with them on Monday.  And then I hope you'll hear from either the Secretary-General himself or the Council.