Colin Powell Called Iraq's Proposal Meaningless and Rejected It - 2002-08-03

Colin Powell, the U.S. Secretary of State, has called the Iraqi government's invitation for UN weapons inspectors to return to Baghdad meaningless and rejected it. Mr. Powell stated to reporters in Manila, the capital of the Philippines, that Iraq is trying to evade its obligation to dismantle weapons of mass destruction. U.S. and British officials have expressed skepticism regarding Iraq's invitation to the head of UN weapons inspectors to Baghdad. A senior U.S. official stated that Iraq knows what it needs to do. The country must allow UN weapons inspectors to inspect locations where Iraq may be engaged in the production of weapons of mass destruction without any conditions or obstruction, especially since Iraq has not allowed inspectors into the country for three and a half years. The U.S. threat to overthrow Saddam Hussein's regime is partly due to this weapons issue. A British Foreign Office spokesman stated that Saddam Hussein, the President of Iraq, has a long history of deceiving others. In contrast to these doubts, the Russian government has described Iraq's action as an important step towards a peaceful resolution of the dispute between Iraq and the UN over prohibited weapons. Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary-General, stated that he would discuss Iraq's invitation with the Security Council on Monday. Iraq's seemingly conciliatory proposal comes at a time when the U.S. is openly discussing the necessity of overthrowing Saddam Hussein, citing the danger posed by Iraq's potential acquisition of weapons of mass destruction.