US denies bid to halt inspections in Iraq

Washington, Aug 15: The United States strenuously disputed Friday a report that it had demanded a halt to surprise UN weapons inspections...

Washington, Aug 15: The United States strenuously disputed Friday a report that it had demanded a halt to surprise UN weapons inspections in Iraq in order to dodge a possible military confrontation with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said she consulted UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) Chief Richard Butler but he "takes orders from no one."According to a Washington Post report, she had urged him to scrap "challenge inspections" at two Iraqi sites suspected of holding forbidden weapons.

"We have had no change in our policy," said Albright. "We support UNSCOM in its inspections and fully support UNSCOM’s right to decide where, when and how it conducts its inspections."

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"I do not tell Chairman Butler what to do," she added at a US State Department News conference. "There should be absolutely no doubt that the United States wants to see UNSCOM succeed."

White House spokesman Michael McCurry earlier stressed that operational decisions were made solely by Butler.

"Thatis not our role," McCurry said, although he acknowledged that US and UN officials "consulted about the best way to conduct their mission," and that timing was one of the issues that would be discussed.

In New York UNSCOM also issued a terse statement saying "the allegations are false."

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Butler, reached by telephone, said that any suggestion he received orders from Albright would be "a very considerable distortion of what took place," adding that N O member of the UN Security Council, including the United States, "has purported to give me instructions."

The Washington Post said Friday that Albright urged Butler in an August 4 telephone call to scrap secret orders for the team to mount "challenge inspections" at two Iraqi sites suspected of holding forbidden weapons.

"We consult Chairman Butler from time to time," Albright said. "Chairman Butler has made it perfectly clear that he makes the operational decisions and he takes orders and instructions from no one."

Any demand from the United States for ahalt to the inspections would fly in the face of the publicly stated US hardline demand for unconditional access to Iraqi sites and threats to use military force to enforce that stand.

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The report came, however, amid waning international backing for the sanctions regime against Iraq and increasing doubts Washington could win support for an enforcement strike.Arms Control Association Director Spurgeon Keeny noted that the alleged requests on August 4 and 7 came just as Iraq froze all cooperation with the UN experts.