Iraq Refuses the Arms Inspection, Oil Price Shoot Up

While there is endless reports that attacking Iraq of the US is near, Iraq refuses the request of the UN Arms Inspectors to come back; therefore, tension is building up in the Middle East again.

▽ Refusal of Iraq=The Iraqi Public Information Minister Mohamed Saed Al Sahaf turned down the possibility for the UN Arms Inspectors to reenter the country during an interview with a Qatari satellite broadcasting Al Zazira saying, “In Iraqi government’s point of view, there is nothing for the UN Arms Inspectors to do in Iraq.”

He criticized, “The American’s insistence that Iraq has massive killing arms is a lie to attack Iraq,” and concluded, “The mission of the UN Arms Inspectors against Iraq is over.”

This is the strongest one out of Iraqi officials’ comments saying that they have no intention to receive the Arms Inspectors, and the Washington Post reported on the 13th that this comment has been said while Germany, the UK, and Saudi Arabia were showing their objection to attacking Iraq.

The arms inspection by the End of Gulf War Agreement in 1991 was stopped when Iraq refused the inspectors to enter the presidential palace in 1998. The US has been insisting that the Iraqi President Sadam Hussein was developing massive killing arms such as biochemical weapons and missiles.

▽ The firm attitude of the US and the reaction of the Arabic circle=In response to this, the US Department of State Spokesperson Phillip Ricker said that it is nothing to surprise that after Iraq’s suggestion of permitting the inspection again, they refused that in few weeks. He adhered to the existing firm attitude by saying, “The issue is not the inspection, but the reduction of armaments.”

In relation to the plan of attacking Iraq, the MSNBC reported on the 13th that the US Army signed a contract to use a big ship going to the Gulf area in Europe, and the US Army would sign another contract with a big ship to unload a massive cargo at two ports in the Red Sea by the end of August. The broadcast reported that, quoting a ship-chartering broker, resources for war such as tanks, helicopters, and ammunitions will be loaded on those ships.

In the meantime, the Iraqi government controlled INA reported that the Arab Parliament Union (APU), which is the union of parliament members of 16 Arabic countries, would have a special session to show their union with Iraq, which was facing a military threat of America, on the first of next month in Baghdad.

▽ International Oil Price=The international oil price showed steep rising curve after the news of the Iraqi refusal of arms inspection was broke out on the 12th.

The WTI from the west Texas of September recorded 27.86 dollars per barrel at the New York Mercantile Exchange, and it was 1 dollar (3.7%) higher than the price of the last weekend, and it was the higest since the 17th of last month. The Brent from the North Sea of September was dealt in 26.04 dollars, which was 70 cents (2.8%) higher than the usual at the London Market.

lailai@donga.com