US Lawmakers Unlikely to Support UN-Brokered Inspections Agreement

Strategic Insights -

US lawmakers from both parties agreed that a UN-brokered agreement on weapons inspections in Iraq is unlikely to work, with some calling for the removal of Saddam Hussein from power. The agreement, hammered out by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and Iraq, has been met with skepticism by US lawmakers, who believe that Saddam's regime will not comply with the terms of the agreement.

Key Takeaways:

  • Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that removing Saddam Hussein from power is the only way to address the challenge posed by Iraq, and that inspections are unlikely to work as long as he is in power.
  • Sen. Bob Kerrey (D-Neb.) stated that the objective in Iraq should be to replace the dictatorship with a democracy, rather than relying on inspections to eliminate weapons of mass destruction.
  • Former chief UN weapons inspector David Kay agreed that the agreement is a serious impediment to effective inspections and that the only way to assure elimination of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction is to remove Saddam.
  • Sandy Berger, President Clinton's national security adviser, suggested that the US should support Iraqi opposition groups, but cautioned that past efforts to overthrow governments by proxy have failed.
  • Critics of the agreement believe that Saddam will never live up to his word and that the addition of diplomats to the inspection teams will make it easier for him to move weapons before inspectors arrive.

Statistics:

  • 150 UN inspectors are conducting their usual activities in Iraq.
  • The new team, including diplomats, that will go into the presidential sites will be there "fairly soon."
  • The US has suspended plans for possible military action to force Iraq to give UN inspectors full access to all suspected weapons sites.

Sources:

  • NBC's "Meet the Press"
  • The Washington Post
  • CNN's "Late Edition"
  • Time magazine
  • Newsweek
  • ABC's "This Week with Sam Donaldson and Cokie Roberts"
  • UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's interview with Time magazine
  • Sandy Berger's Washington Post opinion piece