The Bush administration is concerned that United
Nations weapons inspections chief Hans Blix intends to torpedo Washington's
drive to ensure unrestricted and intrusive searches of suspected Iraqi
weapons of mass destruction facilities.
U.S. officials said Blix, head of the UN Monitoring, Verification and
Inspection Commission, seems eager to send weapons inspectors to Iraq
under a 1998 Security Council resolution that maintains restrictions on
access to Iraqi sites.
The officials said the 72-year-old Blix appears to be
acting in the interests of China, France and Russia, which have opposed a
U.S. draft resolution that calls for unfettered and unrestricted access and
warns of international retaliation in case of Iraqi noncompliance.
On Tuesday, Blix, despite a U.S. appeal for a delay, announced an
agreement with Iraq for the return of the inspectors, Middle East Newsline reported. He said the accord did
not include any new arrangements on access to Iraqi presidential sites,
believed to have been used by the Baghdad regime to conceal WMD facilities.
"We are talking about a man specifically chosen by opponents of UN
sanctions on Iraq who would not make any waves," an official said. "There is
no doubt that he would conduct things differently from his predecessor."
"Our position right now is that UNMOVIC cannot simply go back in under
the former terms of reference," U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said.
"We can even see today that there were still places that were off limits,
that were not talked about, that were not dealt with."
Blix is scheduled to report to the council on Thursday on
its discussion with Iraq. Blix dismissed the assertion that he was required
to obtain
permission from the United States for his activities.
"I am asked by the Security Council to do this job and I do it," Blix
said.
Blix was appointed as UNMOVIC chief in 1999. A former Swedish diplomat,
Blix retired from public service in 1997 after serving 17 years as
director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Under Blix's tutelage, the IAEA had determined that Iraq was not
developing nuclear weapons. Officials said Blix did not press for any
meaningful
inspections of Iraqi facilities and was satisfied with the assurances from
the regime of President Saddam Hussein.
"Hans Blix has demonstrated great naivete," an official said. "He can be
easily deceived and that reputation is well known in Sweden."
[On late Tuesday, Israel television reported that Baghdad has acquired
about 5,000 masks to protect against biological and chemical weapons. The
television quoted Western intelligence sources as saying the masks were
purchased in Europe, smuggled through a neighboring country and that this
signals Baghdad's intention to use WMD against the United States in any
future war.]
U.S. officials said the United States would ensure that Blix's mandate
in negotiations with Iraq would be limited to technical arrangements. They
said any agreement reached by Blix could be revised by a future resolution
by the Security Council.
"We don't think the inspectors should go to Iraq without having the
further authority and guidance from the Security Council," State Department
spokesman Richard Boucher said.
