Aziz meeting Butler today, after spying accusations
Iraq-UN, Politics, 8/3/1998

UNSCOM chief Richard Butler is meeting today with Tariq Aziz, the Iraqi first deputy prime minister, as part of a four-day visit.

Butler said he hopes to achieve progress so that the UN Security Council will be able to lift the sanctions imposed against Iraq, a statement that he has repeated on every visit to Iraq.

The Iraqi parliament is convening today to discuss Iraq's relations with UNSCOM, the UN organization inspecting Iraq for weapons of mass destruction.

Iraq is concerned that the inspection tour may fail, as a result of the souring relations relations between Iraq and the UN committee after mutual accusations between Iraq and Butler concerning the inspections.

Iraq accuses Butler of being an American agent who works to prolong the sanctions, while Butler accuses the Iraqis of lack of cooperation with his committee in its inspection efforts. Iraq on Friday accused an American UNSCOM member of spying. A source at the Iraqi national monitoring department said the US inspector was hiding behind a UN lorry and took photos of a train transporting military equipment in the Tigris river area on Tuesday.

The source added that the Iraqis who accompanied the UNSCOM team asked the US inspector to get rid of the film, because what he had done was an act of espionage and has no relevance to UNSCOM. The Iraqi source said the inspector exposed the film (burned it).

On Thursday Iraq warned the UN Security Council against the consequences of not lifting sanctions imposed against it for eight years. It stressed that all options are available to defend Iraqi rights.

The Iraqi daily al-Thawra quoted Iraqi Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan as saying that the UN Security Council has to commit to its obligations as stated in its resolutions. Ramadan added that the question of lifting sanctions is of top priority to Iraq, adding that contacts have been made with all sides concerned to this end.

Previous Stories:
  Iraq: US objections will not stop Iraq- Syria oil pipeline   (7/29/1998)
  Baghdad renews warning against perpetuated sanctions   (7/22/1998)
  Iraq accuses U.S. of hostile intent   (7/1/1998)

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