UN Weapons Inspector Resigns Over Lack of US Support for UNSCOM

Scott Ritter, a high-profile inspector with the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM), has resigned over what he claims is a lack of support from the United States and the United Nations in enforcing demands on Saddam Hussein's regime. Ritter accuses the US and UN of giving in to Iraqi leaders by not fully supporting UNSCOM's efforts to inspect and dismantle Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.

Key Takeaways:

• Scott Ritter, a former US Marine and high-profile inspector with UNSCOM, has resigned over the lack of support from the US and UN in enforcing demands on Saddam Hussein's regime.
• Ritter claims that the US and UN have given in to Iraqi leaders by not fully supporting UNSCOM's efforts to inspect and dismantle Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs.
• Ritter's resignation comes on the heels of revelations by the Washington Post that the Clinton administration had intervened with several surprise inspections by teams in Iraq, which were hampered by behind-the-scenes action on at least six occasions.
• According to the Post, Iraq has a procedure to move its stocks of forbidden weapons components and documents every 30 days, and conducts drills to practice evacuating or destroying evidence on 15-minute notice.
• The UN inspectors must run a series of gauntlets to initiate a search, including accumulation of intelligence, planning the operation, assembling a team of specialists, and deploying the team to Iraq.
• Ritter says that the Clinton administration has been secretly trying to find a diplomatic solution with Iraq, which is lessening its publicly stated resolve to use military force to support the inspectors.
• Ritter claims that the illusion of arms control is more dangerous than no arms control at all, and that he cannot and will not be a party to such an illusion.

Statistics:

• Every 30 days, Iraq moves its stocks of forbidden weapons components and documents.
• On 15 minutes notice, Iraq conducts drills to evacuate or destroy evidence.
• Behind-the-scenes action by US officials has hampered surprise searches by UNSCOM at least six times.
• The number of military forces massed in the area in February after Ritter termed "indisputable proof" that an effort to hide information and weapons involved Saddam Hussein.

Sources:

• "Inspectors Criticized for Pursuing Evidence," United Press International, August 27, 1998. (Note: This article was published after Scott Ritter's resignation, but quotes Scott Ritter's resignation letter and subsequent interviews.)
• "Clinton Aides Said to Have Secretly Sought a Diplomatic Solution With Hussein," New York Times, December 1997.