United Nations inspection of Iraqi weapons factories began last week as the world watches a political showdown between Iraq and the United States.
The inspection team led by Hans Blix has been crossing the Iraqi desert and visiting different towns searching for the creation or research of any weapons outlawed by the United Nations after the Gulf War in 1991. For example, the United Nations has banned Iraq from creating missiles that can travel more than 90 miles.
One specification in the most recent resolution passed by the U.N. Security Council is that Iraq must produce a list of weapons to the inspections team by Dec. 8. However, Iraq has claimed that it will have the list ready a day early.
The most prominent visit thus far by the inspections team has been to Saddam Hussein’s palace in Baghdad. According to reports, the team had no difficulty searching the palace and found no wrongs. Saddam’s regime is also said to be cooperating with weapons inspectors.
Yesterday, the team traveled to a factory two hours from Baghdad. Even though the factory was bombed during the Gulf War, inspectors suspected that it might still be used for the production of mustard gas. Even though there were no major violations, the team found several old shell casings containing the poison gas in a building blocked by freight boxes, which had to be removed by a crane, suggesting that they were tightly protected.
President George W. Bush continues to be cautious. In a press conference yesterday, he again told reporters that he is leery of Iraq’s claims.
“We’ve been at this for five days,” Bush said. “This is after 11 years of defiance.”
Nevertheless, not all has gone well. Iraq has admitted to making attempts at purchasing special-grade aluminum pipes that are used for the creation of nuclear arms. According to Jean-Robert Leguey-Feilleux, professor of political science and Midddle East affairs at Saint Louis University, the United States will need a more serious and pressing violation to appease the United Nations.
“The United States can’t attack without a mandate from the U.N.,” Leguey-Feilleux said in reference to the Bush administration’s search for international support.
Leguey-Feilleux also pointed out that much of the Arab world views Bush as someone who wants to go to war, where much of the international community sees the United States as settling for weapons inspections.
Nevertheless, Leguey-Feilleux points out that Bush must be patient when dealing with Saddam.
“A time will come when [Saddam] goes back to his policy of obstruction,” Leguey-Feilleux said.
Last night on “Nightline,” Ted Koppel interviewed Tariq Aziz, the Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq and the man who is called Saddam’s closest aid accused the Bush administration of wanting war.
“[Bush’s] administration is preparing for a war,” Aziz said. “It’s not gong to be a picnic, and it will be more than two or three weeks.”
The Bush adminstration has been making moves recently to prepare for an assault on Iraq if necessary. Even though many troops are currently stationed in Kuwait, Qatar and surrounding nations, the 250,000 needed for a strike have not yet been put in place. The United States is also working with nations near Iraq as strategic points of invasion.
Earlier this week, U.S. officials met with Recep Tayyip Erdagan from Turkey’s newly elected Justice and Development Party. The group has been accused of fundamentalist principles, but they have been searching for admittance into the European Union and the nation is a member of NATO.
U.S. military officials are attempting to use the Incirlik air base in eastern Turkey and helicopter bases closer to Iraq’s border to run air strikes in case of a war. Ground forces may also be used in Turkey as well, in the event of a ground war in northern Iraq.
U.S. officials are attempting to use their ground forces as implements of stability in a region that is under stress from an indigenous Kurdish population. It is believed that U.S. forces can keep control over Kurdish sects that may declare independence if Saddam’s regime falls.
The U.S. alliance has also come under pressure lately when Saudi Princess Haifa al-Faisal was found donating money to groups that funded a number of terrorists involved with the Sept. 11 attacks.
