Saddam yields, will allow UNSCOM re-entry

Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz handed over a letter to Shah, carrying President Saddam Hussein’s message to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

According to a report from UN, Annan, when asked whether the letter met all the UN requirements said, “Yes, in my view it does.”

Iraq’s UN ambassador Nizar Hamdoon confirmed that his country had decided to resume “full complete cooperation with both UNSCOM and IAEA.”

Annan had written a letter to the Iraqi leader, after five hours of talks in the Security Council last night, urging Saddam to resume cooperation with UN weapons inspectors following Baghdad’s decision to halt all cooperation.The Iraqi decision came a fewhours ahead of a meeting of the Security Council, amid increasing threats of military action against Baghdad by the US.

Meanwhile, a despatch from Washington quoted a White House spokesman as saying that US president Bill Clinton was meeting the top members of his foreign policy team, to discuss the Iraqi situation.

Earlier, an Iraqi Information Ministry official had said in Baghdad that the Iraqi leadership will respond positively to Annan’s letter to Saddam Hussein asking him to take a “wise decision” to avoid military strike.

The Iraqi assurance had turned the tables. The negotiations until now, had showed no breakthrough on the UN inspectors issue, as Baghdad refused to rescind its October 31 decision of suspending all cooperation with the UNSCOM.

Annan had already rejected an offer by Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz, seeking his mediation in the current crisis.

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook had said earlier that time was running out and it was up to Baghdad to cooperate with theUN disarmament inspectors.All humanitarian aids were cancelled, following departure of 50 UN monitors from Iraq. The monitors were responsible for overseeing the oil-for-food programme.

In a related development, Gulf Foreign Ministers had met today in Abu Dhabi for the second time, to discuss the present Iraqi crisis. These countries reiterated their earlier stand, urging defiant Baghdad to comply with the UN resolutions on arms inspection.

UAE Foreign Minister Rasheed Abdullah, speaking at the meeting, urged Iraq to resume cooperation with UN and avoid any military strike.

Saudi Arabia has said it would not allow its soil to be used against attacks on Iraq, even though Kingdom forces were put on high alert.

Earlier, the US embassy in Saudi Arabia had advised the 35,000 Americans living in the Kingdom, including about 5,000 military personnel based there, to closely follow media reports on the “fast moving situation”.

Nizar Hamdoon, Iraqi ambassador at the UN, said last night “We still hope thatthere will be a diplomatic solution."