Saddam accepts UN resolution

Saying it wanted to save the Iraqi people from a new war, Saddam Hussein’s government accepted a tough new United Nations resolution and the return of international weapons inspectors, but called the terms unjust and illegal.

In a nine-page letter of acceptance written to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Iraq said it wanted to prove to the world that it had no weapons of mass destruction.

“We hereby inform you that we will deal with resolution 1441, despite its bad contents. ... The important thing is trying to spare our people from any harm,” wrote Iraqi foreign minister Naji Sabri.

The letter’s anti-American, anti-Israeli and sometimes threatening language, was in stark contrast to the announcement by Iraq’s UN ambassador, Mohammed Al-Douri, who said his government had chosen “the path of peace” and its acceptance had “no conditions, no reservations”.

US president George Bush, who has threatened a war against Iraq if it fails to comply with UN inspectors, called Iraq’s acceptance a first test.

Several UN Security Council diplomats said Saddam’s agreement two days ahead of the Friday deadline was positive.

But the harsh tone in Sabri’s letter raised some questions about Iraq’s ultimate compliance, as did its warning about the way Baghdad expects the inspectors to behave.

Annan, speaking to reporters in Washington after meeting Bush, said he would wait to see whether the language “is an indication that they are going to play games or ... a message they are sending to their own people”.

“But what is important is that the resolution is mandatory,” he said. “I think the issue is not their acceptance, but performance on the ground ... so let the inspectors go in, and I urge the Iraqis to co-operate with them and to perform.”

Annan said the advance team of inspectors would arrive in Baghdad on Monday but they had until December 23 to begin their work.

They must report to the security council 60 days later. If Iraq fails to co-operate, the resolution orders inspectors to immediately notify the council, which will discuss possible action.

The clock also is ticking for Iraq. By December 8, it must declare all its chemical, biological and nuclear programmes.

Al-Douri said his government had nothing to fear from inspections because “Iraq is clean”.

In the letter, Sabri accused Bush and Tony Blair of fabricating “the biggest and most wicked slander against Iraq” by claiming that it had or was on its way to producing nuclear weapons and had already produced biological and chemical weapons.

He warned inspectors that Iraq would be watching their actions very closely. In 1998, Baghdad accused inspectors of spying for the United States and Israel.

Under security council resolutions adopted after Iraq’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait, UN inspectors must certify that Iraq’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs have been eliminated along with the long-range missiles to deliver them. Only then can sanctions against Iraq be lifted.

The advance team that will arrive in Iraq on Monday will be led by chief UN inspector Hans Blix, who is in charge of biological and chemical inspections, and Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency, which is in charge of nuclear inspections.

Blix said he would not comment until he had read the letter.

At a news conference later, ElBaradei responded to Iraq’s claim of having no weapons of mass destruction.

“If they are clean, they are going to have to prove to us that they are clean,” said ElBaradei, declining to speculate how long the inspections would take.

The resolution allows inspectors to go anywhere at any time to search for weapons of mass destruction. It also warns that Iraq faces “serious consequences” if it doesn’t comply – and the United States has made clear that an Iraqi failure to co-operate will almost certainly mean a new war.