Iraq Accepts US Investigation Team Regarding Fate of Missing Pilot - 2002-03-25

Iraq says it is ready to accept a US delegation to discuss the fate of an American pilot whose plane was shot down during the Gulf War in 1991. A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry in Baghdad stated that a group of American journalists could also accompany the delegation. The discussions, as emphasized by this spokesperson, must take place under the supervision of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Michael Speicher, a 33-year-old Navy fighter pilot, had his plane targeted by Iraqi air defenses and shot down on January 17, 1991, the first night of the war. His name was initially listed among the casualties of the war, but last year the US Department of Defense changed his status from killed to missing, as ongoing reports indicated that he had been captured. Investigators who examined the crash site in 1995 found the cockpit canopy and his torn clothing, but no trace of the pilot was discovered. Iraq claims that the pilot was killed without ejecting. In Washington, Dick Cheney, the US Vice President, expressed ignorance about Iraq's proposal in an interview with a television network, stating that he needed to investigate and see if Iraq was serious about this matter or if Saddam Hussein was trying to divert attention.