Clinton Administration Concerned Over Iraq Accord

Strategic Insights -

The Clinton administration expressed worries that the agreement signed by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan may grant Saddam room to interfere with future weapons inspections by the United Nations. While the accord defused the recent confrontation between Iraq and the U.N., it opens the way to two new struggles: one over details governing inspection of sensitive sites in Iraq and the other over terms for ending economic sanctions imposed against Iraq in 1990. U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Bill Richardson, identified four parts of the two-page accord that are worrisome to the United States.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Clinton administration is concerned that the agreement signed by Saddam Hussein and Kofi Annan may grant Saddam room to interfere with future weapons inspections by the United Nations.
  • The administration is worried about four specific parts of the two-page accord, including the creation of a new "special group" of U.N. weapons inspectors, the appointment of a commissioner for the new group, and the terms for ending economic sanctions against Iraq.
  • U.N. officials from several countries allied with the United States have expressed concerns that the creation of the special group will dilute the authority of UNSCOM Chairman Richard Butler.
  • The accord calls for U.N. inspectors to be accompanied by diplomats chosen by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan to sensitive sites in Iraq, which some have criticized as unnecessary.
  • The Clinton administration believes that Saddam has an interest in ending the economic sanctions against Iraq, which have denied his country more than $100 billion in revenues since 1991.
  • The administration is concerned that lifting the sanctions will allow Saddam to channel resources into a new military buildup.
  • The Security Council is expected to adopt the accord as a formal resolution with the status of international law once its terms are clarified.
  • Several Security Council ambassadors are expected to warn Saddam publicly that Iraq will suffer punishment if he fails to abide by the accord.

Statistics:

  • More than $100 billion in revenues have been denied to Iraq since 1991 due to the economic sanctions imposed against the country.
  • Iraq's U.N. ambassador, Nizar Hamdoon, expressed hope that the involvement of U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan will bring about a better atmosphere between Iraq and the United Nations.

Sources:

  • Washington Post, February 24, 1998
  • Reuters, February 23, 1998
  • Los Angeles Times, February 24, 1998
  • The New York Times, February 24, 1998