Iraq: Ritter's resignation weakens US efforts to perpetuate sanctions
Iraq, Politics, 9/2/1998

The controversial US arms inspector Scott Ritter provoked the US intelligence to sacrifice and pressure him to resign from UNSCOM since he was weakening the US position at the UN Security Council, according to Iraqi officials.

The stir caused by Ritter's resignation from UNSCOM was the result of his weakening the US plan aimed at perpetuating the sanctions on Iraq said the Iraqi official. Other UN Security Council members are showing greater restraints and willingness to review Iraqi concerns with France saying on August 25 that any measures against Iraq should be "in proportion with the Iraqi decision" to suspend cooperation with UNSCOM.

Director general of the Iraqi national audition committee (the Iraqi counterpart of UNSCOM), Lt. Gen. Husam Muhammad Amin, said during a program broadcast by Iraqi television that in all his inspection visits Ritter used to act in a suspicious manner "to serve the US and Israeli intelligence objectives."

The Iraqi official stated that in one of his visits to the Iraqi headquarters, Ritter went to the "Israel section" in the Iraqi government and asked for information about it despite the fact that this section did not fall within his work responsibility.

For his part, Iraqi Oil Minister Amer Muhammad Rashid, one of the Iraqi negotiators with UNSCOM, said in the same television program that US intelligence has been exposed after its flagrant intervention in the committee's activities and after it asked Ritter to resign at the directives of UNSCOM deputy chairman, Charles Welfare.

Rashid did not rule out UNSCOM's chairman Richard Butler and other members resigning later, so as to eliminate the consequences of the crisis.

Rashid asserted that Ritter had informed him repeatedly, most recently in March, that UNSCOM cooperates with Israel, adding that Ritter personally visited Israel and discussed with its leaders the Iraqi weapons program. Ritter, a former US Marine officer, resigned on August 27 from UNSCOM.

Previous Stories:
  Iraqi message to Annan   (9/1/1998)
  US: Developing conflict with Iraq 'indisputable'   (9/1/1998)
  US plans to strike Iraq in October   (8/31/1998)

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