- Iraq has removed any excuse for a US-led war by agreeing
to new UN weapons inspections, Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz said Tuesday.
-
- "The excuse used to launch an aggression has been
totally blocked," Aziz told a gathering of political supporters in
Baghdad.
-
- "They (the Americans) thought Iraq wouldn't take
such a courageous decision," as accepting the return of UN arms inspectors,
Aziz said.
-
- UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said Monday he had received
a letter from Iraqi Foreign Minister Naji Sabri informing him of Baghdad's
decision to allow the return of the weapons inspectors "without conditions".
-
- The letter said Iraq wanted to start immediate discussions
on practical arrangements for the return of the inspectors, and "remove
any doubts that Iraq still possesses weapons of mass destruction."
-
- "Immediately after the announcement by Baghdad (in
New York), the White House rejected the decision," Aziz said.
-
- Washington "has been shocked by this courageous
decision," he said. "We are serious and ready to assume (responsibilities).
We are completely ready to cooperate with the United Nations."
-
- The White House branded Iraq's offer "a tactic that
will fail" to prevent UN action to disarm Baghdad and called for a
tough new Security Council resolution to deal with President Saddam Hussein.
-
- Aziz added that "all weapons of mass destruction
in Iraq have been completely destroyed. Even tools and buildings housing
equipment have been destroyed."
-
- The minister also accused US President George W. Bush
of "wanting to make Iraq a new Afghanistan."
-
- "The objective of US policy (towards Iraq) is aimed
at controlling oil in the Gulf," Aziz warned.
-
- Copyright © 2002 AFP. All rights reserved. All information
displayed in this section (dispatches, photographs, logos) are protected
by intellectual property rights owned by Agence France-Presse. As a consequence
you may not copy, reproduce, modify, transmit, publish, display or in any
way commercially exploit any of the contents of this section without the
prior written consent of Agence France-Presses.
|
