Baghdad to Washington: lets talk
Iraq, International, 2/21/1998

Iraq informed the US that it is ready to accept the return of the inspection groups to resume their work in Iraq without restrictions or conditions, if Washington opens a continuous direct discussion with Baghdad to remove the sanctions imposed on Iraq since the Gulf War in 1990, Arab diplomatic sources said.

The sources told ArabicNews.com that Iraq suggested these ideas due to the US response to Iranian President Khatami's call to open discussions between the US and Iran to break the impasse in bilateral relations.

The sources told ArabicNews.com that Iraq informed Washington through a European middleman that Baghdad is ready to go the ultimate limits to solve the inspection problem according to conditions agreed upon this week.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan began discussions this morning in Baghdad with Iraqi officials to defuse the crisis, while experts from the committee to map Iraq's presidential palaces were accompanied by technical experts from UNSCOM who entered the disputed sites in which they were allowed to move freely.

US national security advisor Sandy Berger on Saturday expressed hope that Annan can negotiate an acceptable diplomatic solution to the crisis, but indicated that the US is proceeding with its preparations to launch a military strike despite the ongoing negotiations. "We have confident in the secretary-general to uphold the Security Council resolutions," Berger said.

"Access to all locations and maintaining UNSCOM as the operational control" of weapons inspections in Iraq are the "Fundamental issues" that must be addressed in a diplomatic solution Berger said.

Berger also described as false and inaccurate reports that the US president has already approved military action.

Berger said that he expects the US congress to have its own discussions of potential military strikes and stated that although the Clinton administration does not believe that congressional approval is necessary to launch the strikes, "we would welcome" such a resolution.

Previous Stories:
  Elements of the solution to the Iraqi crisis   (2/20/1998)
  Annan's visit may force US hand   (2/19/1998)
  Iraqi crisis reaches its most critical stage   (2/18/1998)

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