Annan: Events may be running away from us
Iraq, Politics, 11/13/1998

UN Secretary General Kofi Annan who met late today with the UN Security Council decided to send Iraq a letter asking it to cooperate.

Annan said after the meeting that the Security Council said that "All stressed the need for a peacefull solution, but events on the ground may be running away from us, I don't know."

The content of the letter was not disclosed but the US ambassador at the UN, Peter Burleigh, who chairs the Security Council said on behalf of the council at the conclusion of the meeting that "we reiterate our support" for the Nov. 11 appeal of Kofi Annan asking Iraq to cooperate.

China's ambassador at the UN Qiu Huasun said "we are deeply concerned" urging peaceful means to resolve the crisis.

The Russian ambassador at the UN Sergey Lavrov said that the Iraqi President has sent Russia a reply in response to their envoy "accepting" to rescind his decision and that he is "ready to fully implement" the UN Security Council resolutions if there is assurance that there will be a review of the sanctions after Iraqi compliance, with Nizar Hamdoon, the Iraqi ambassador at the UN, elaborating that this comprehensive review has to be "guaranteed to be fair."

But White House Spokesman Joe Lockhart today said that Iraq cannot dictate "based on his terms and his conditions" but has to comply with the international will.

It remains to be seen if this acceptance by Iraq, sent to Russia, will avert the warning today issued by US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright saying "reverse course or face consequences."

Previous Stories:
  Washington tells Arab ambassadors that it will strike Iraq very soon   (11/13/1998)
  Baghdad ready to cooperate with Annan to settle the crisis   (11/13/1998)

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