Washington, London obstruct Russian proposal to close Iraqi nuclear file

The US and Britain on Wednesday at the UN vetoed a Russian proposal that would have provided for ending inspection operations of nuclear firms in Iraq.

Iraq was certified "clean" previously by special UN groups regarding nuclear related material possession and arms, but no action was formally adopted by the UN Security Council to acknowledge this fact by stopping those inspections. This has caused frustration among Iraqi officials that have threatened that their patience is limited in the face of their compliance, against what is seen as US and British desire to keep the sanctions on Iraq at all cost.

Experts say the US is fearful of the fact that Iraq still maintains a wealth of "knowledge about how to do things" in the realm of military development, that cannot be destroyed as they have done to Iraqi manufacturing sites and equipment. It is this "knowledge" that is of concern to the US as it would allow Iraq to quickly rebuilt its arsenal and assets once sanctions are removed.

The US representative at the UN, Bill Richardson, said the US opposes the Russian proposal. He said the report of the International Agency of Atomic Energy submitted on Wednesday to the UN did not justify taking measures in favor of Iraq.

For his part, the British representative, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, said the report does not imply any progress, noting there is no reason to adopt a formal initiative.

Nevertheless, the French Representative asserted that the International Atomic Energy Agency has completed its main mission as determined by UN resolutions. A diplomatic source quoted the French ambassador at the UN as asking if it is a crime that "Iraq keeps scientists as the report indicates."