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| Let The Inspections In Iraq Begin — Again | 
 | Members of the Iraqi parliament discuss whether to accept the U.N.'s resolution on weapons inspection.
Photo: CBS
| Let the inspections begin — again.
In a letter delivered to the United Nations on Wednesday (November 13), Iraq announced that it has accepted a recent U.N. resolution, which calls on the gulf state to disclose all of its weapons of mass destruction and its weapon-making capabilities. The move sets the stage for a new round of weapons inspections to begin as early as Monday.
Iraqi Ambassador Mohammed Al-Dour announced the news shortly after delivering the letter to the U.N. "The letter says that Iraq will deal with Security Council Resolution 1441 despite its bad contents," he said. "We are prepared to receive the inspectors within the assigned timetable. We are eager to see them perform their duties in accordance with international law as soon as possible."
The White House reacted cautiously to the news. Regarding Iraq's willingness to accept inspectors, Deputy Press Secretary Scott McClellan said, "We have heard this before. Now it is time to see it by their actions."
At the United Nations, officials said they were pleased that Iraq had accepted the resolution. "Members of the Security Council welcomed the correct decision by the Iraqi government and we would like to see resolution 1441 implemented fully and very effectively," said China's deputy U.N. ambassador Zhang Yishan, the current Security Council president. China is one of five nations that hold permanent seats on the council.
Starting next week, a team of U.N. weapons inspectors will set up shop in Baghdad. Their goal will be to investigate any and all sites in which they suspect that weapons of mass destruction are being either stockpiled or developed. Under the terms of the U.N. resolution, nowhere in Iraq is to be considered off limits to their prying eyes. The inspectors must begin their work no later than December 23 and conclude no more than 60 days after that. In the meantime, Iraq must declare all its chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs by December 8.
The move to accept the resolution came just a day after the Iraq parliament debated the U.N. resolution — and overwhelmingly rejected it. The parliamentary action was seen as largely a public relations ploy to demonstrate Iraq's displeasure with the pressure it was under from the world community. It had little bearing on the country's policy, which is believed to be determined almost entirely by the country's president, Saddam Hussein.
By Ethan Zindler
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