Background: Inspecting Iraq

KWAME HOLMAN:

It's been nearly four years since United Nations weapons inspectors were in Iraq checking for possible chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Now suddenly there is talk in Baghdad and at the United Nations about bringing the inspectors back. Within a day of completion of U.S. Senate hearings last week on President Bush's threat of taking military action against Iraq, the government of Saddam Hussein sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. In it the Iraqis invited the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector Hans Blix to Baghdad for technical talks on restarting inspections.

KOFI ANNAN:

I think it's one of the first letters we've received from Iraq inviting the inspectors to come in -- obviously with the program. Whether this is a real break and a real change in attitude is something that we will have to test, but I think, as I have indicated, if they were to agree to the position that Mr. Blix had laid out for them in accordance with the U.N. resolutions, we may be closer; but it is interesting that the right to invite the inspectors to come in at this stage. It has not happened before.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Weapons inspections were imposed on Iraq after the U.S.-led coalition defeated Saddam in the Gulf War in 1991. But inspectors complained they frequently were hampered by Iraqi officials. The program ended in 1998 with the last inspectors departing just ahead of a U.S.-British bombing campaign that December. Until the United Nations certifies Iraq no longer has weapons of mass destruction, economic sanctions against Iraq remain in effect. Iraq says at least a million people have died as a result of the sanctions. But the U.S. charges Iraq has diverted available resources from humanitarian to military use. At last week's Senate hearings, a former chief inspector who spent time there said Iraq probably still is producing illicit weapons despite Iraqi claims to the contrary.

RICHARD BUTLER:

It's more than interesting that in his public statement Saddam Hussein never claims to be disarmed. On the contrary he threatens a degree of destruction of his enemies which implies his position of mighty weapons. It is essential to recognize that the claim made by Saddam's representatives that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction is false. What there is now is evidence that Saddam has reinvigorated his nuclear weapons program in the inspection-free years. And over two years ago, the IAEA estimate was that if he started work again on a nuclear weapon, he could build one in about two years.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Today Secretary General Annan sent a letter to Baghdad. He said Iraq would have to agree to practical steps to resume inspections before he would send the chief U.N. weapons inspector to Baghdad for negotiations. Yesterday key members of Congress dismissed an invitation from Baghdad to send a U.S. Congressional delegation to conduct weapons inspections. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden who convened last week's hearings on how to deal with Saddam and the weapons issue rejected the Iraqi invitation as well.

KWAME HOLMAN:

It's been nearly four years since United Nations weapons inspectors were in Iraq checking for possible chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Now suddenly there is talk in Baghdad and at the United Nations about bringing the inspectors back. Within a day of completion of U.S. Senate hearings last week on President Bush's threat of taking military action against Iraq, the government of Saddam Hussein sent a letter to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. In it the Iraqis invited the U.N.'s chief weapons inspector Hans Blix to Baghdad for technical talks on restarting inspections.

KOFI ANNAN:

I think it's one of the first letters we've received from Iraq inviting the inspectors to come in -- obviously with the program. Whether this is a real break and a real change in attitude is something that we will have to test, but I think, as I have indicated, if they were to agree to the position that Mr. Blix had laid out for them in accordance with the U.N. resolutions, we may be closer; but it is interesting that the right to invite the inspectors to come in at this stage. It has not happened before.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Weapons inspections were imposed on Iraq after the U.S.-led coalition defeated Saddam in the Gulf War in 1991. But inspectors complained they frequently were hampered by Iraqi officials. The program ended in 1998 with the last inspectors departing just ahead of a U.S.-British bombing campaign that December. Until the United Nations certifies Iraq no longer has weapons of mass destruction, economic sanctions against Iraq remain in effect. Iraq says at least a million people have died as a result of the sanctions. But the U.S. charges Iraq has diverted available resources from humanitarian to military use. At last week's Senate hearings, a former chief inspector who spent time there said Iraq probably still is producing illicit weapons despite Iraqi claims to the contrary.

RICHARD BUTLER:

It's more than interesting that in his public statement Saddam Hussein never claims to be disarmed. On the contrary he threatens a degree of destruction of his enemies which implies his position of mighty weapons. It is essential to recognize that the claim made by Saddam's representatives that Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction is false. What there is now is evidence that Saddam has reinvigorated his nuclear weapons program in the inspection-free years. And over two years ago, the IAEA estimate was that if he started work again on a nuclear weapon, he could build one in about two years.

KWAME HOLMAN:

Today Secretary General Annan sent a letter to Baghdad. He said Iraq would have to agree to practical steps to resume inspections before he would send the chief U.N. weapons inspector to Baghdad for negotiations. Yesterday key members of Congress dismissed an invitation from Baghdad to send a U.S. Congressional delegation to conduct weapons inspections. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden who convened last week's hearings on how to deal with Saddam and the weapons issue rejected the Iraqi invitation as well.