Word: blix
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When is a flat tire simply a flat tire and when is it an act of sabotage that could ignite a war? As head of UNMOVIC, the U.N. inspection team charged with overseeing Iraqi disarmament, Hans Blix arrived in Baghdad last week to face such momentous questions. After touching down at Saddam International Airport, Blix fielded reporters' questions before being whisked away to the Al Rasheed Hotel. Iraqi Lieut. General Amer al Saadi later hosted talks with Blix and praised the Swedish diplomat's "integrity and impartiality." Blix thanked him for his "warm welcome," but added a sly reference...
...Swedish diplomat Hans Blix led the advance guard of his inspection team back to Baghdad this week, but their mission was a combination of housekeeping and diplomacy. While administrative staff set to work on cleaning and re-equipping the operational headquarters of the UN Monitoring and Verification Committee (UNMOVIC), Blix held a series of meetings with top Iraqi officials to set out what will be required of them. Sources close to the discussions described the atmosphere as positive and businesslike, with the Iraqis promising full cooperation...
...Blix stressed the importance of a full and accurate accounting by the December 8 deadline of all Iraqi facilities potentially involved in the production of weapons of mass destruction. Iraq, in its letter accepting Resolution 1441, restated its claim that it has no such weapons programs. Blix pointedly urged them to reexamine their inventories to make sure that any offending items were declared, because any undeclared programs or stocks revealed in the course of subsequent inspections would put Iraq squarely in breach of 1441 - and almost certainly trigger a military response. The UNMOVIC chief's comments could be read...
...Britain, of course, believe they have evidence of active Iraqi nuclear, chemical and biological programs. If these are not declared by Baghdad on Dec. 8, the next step by Washington and London will likely be to provide Blix's team with their hottest intelligence to point them to the locations where they'll catch Iraq red-handed. And if that happens, an invasion will likely be inevitable. But until it does, the allies Washington seeks in Europe and the Arab world may be inclined to defer their own decisions about participating...
...world will soon know whether Saddam's government truly intends to permit UN weapons inspections "anywhere, any place, any time," as Blix describes his mandate from the Security Council. But judging from the constructive posture assumed by the Iraqis in this week's meetings in Baghdad, they seem to be taking seriously Resolution 1441's warning that Blix's mission offers Iraq a "final" chance to disarm, or face serious consequences...