Iraqi Presidential Palace To Be Scrutinized As Well

UN weapons inspection team that will look into whether Iraq possesses weapons of mass destruction (WMD) launches its landmark task on November 27. It remains to be seen whether it would bring peace or war.

First group of the inspection team, that consists of 17 members from American, Russia, French, Egyptian, entered into Iraq on November 25 and will start their first activity by checking surveillance equipments such as unmanned cameras installed in and around suspected WND manufacturing spots before the team withdrew from the country in 1998.

Quoting concerned UN personnel, New York Times reported on November 26 that the inspection team would begin elementary activities first to avoid unnecessary conflicts with Iraq, but heighten the level, carrying out inspections on unpredictable spots, in late this year when equipments are reinforced and its number of personnel reaches 100.

The newspaper expected that the inspection team would exert roughly three tactics including standard tactic to find evidences of Iraq’s manufacturing the WMDs. Other than the tactic, it would make records on interferences and tricks done by Iraq regarding inspection activities, and in particular, Iraq’s WMD status report due to be submitted on December 8 would be scrutinized to find falsehoods.

The inspection team is also expected to adopt a tactic to interview scientists who have information on development of the WMDs. The team is quite hopeful about the tactic as UN once had got information on Iraq’s nuclear development plan from a defected Iraqi and successfully stopped the plan in 1991.

Mellisa Flemming, a member of the inspection team and spokesperson of the IAEA said “We have been given enormous authorities,” and “cutting-edge equipments have already been transported by air and eight helicopters will be given to us within this week.”

30 second-group members would arrive on December 8, and number of the inspection team would amount to 100 by the Christmas.

However, inspection on the presidential palace, which brought about conflicts with Iraq in 1998, remains controversial. Hans Blix, director of the UN weapons inspection team said at a briefing, “In regard to the most sensitive ‘approach to presidential palace,’ Iraqi officials responded, ‘access to the place is not the same as those to ministries or plants.’”

He, however, said, “we called Iraqi’s attention to the principal that all facilities and places within Iraq should be accessed under same conditions.”

Ki-Tae Kwon kkt@donga.com