Blair: Don't Be Fooled By Saddam

Sept. 18, 2002
by Charles Reiss, Political Editor Evening Standard

Tony Blair today urged the international community to "keep up the pressure" on Saddam Hussein despite his offer to let weapons inspectors back into Iraq without conditions.

In his first public comments since the Iraqi offer, the Prime Minister made clear his scepticism. "Nobody should be in any doubt," he declared. "This is not because Saddam wants to let the inspectors back in. He has played around for years.

"It's the pressure that has brought him to this position. We have got to keep up the pressure to make sure the weapons inspectors actually go in - not just that he says they can go in but they actually go in and that they can do their job."

The US was moving urgently to deliver the same message and prevent the fragile international alliance from falling apart. Vice President Dick Cheney, one of the leading hawks in the administration, dismissed the offer to let United Nations weapons inspectors back in as a mere delaying tactic.

Accusing Saddam of attempting, yet again, to thwart the will of the UN, he said the move was "meant to obfuscate and deter action".

Senior figures in both Washington and London warned that, in the words of President Bush, the UN "must not be fooled". Elsewhere, however, there were signs that the Iraqi offer had taken the steam out of the gathering international support for tough action. And at Westminster there were signals of trouble ahead for Mr Blair.

Two key members of the UN Security Council, Russia and France, said there was now no need for a further resolution to bring Saddam to heel.

France's foreign minister, Dominique de Villetin, said the organisation should hold off until it became clear whether the inspectors were being given unfettered access to seek out weapons of mass destruction.

"I think that, already, all the elements that are needed to act are there," he said.

Russia which, like France, has the power to veto any resolution, said that the need for armed action had been averted. Key Arab states also backed away from confrontation. Egypt's foreign minister, Ahmed Maher, declared: "We see no reason to go to the Security Council right now, except to register the agreement that has been reached." The UN's chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, held opening talks with Iraqi officials last night and there were suggestions that they would meet again in Vienna in two weeks' time.

To sceptics in Washington and London that confirmed fears that Saddam had simply bought himself a massive amount of time to duck and weave. White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said that the Iraqi leader had "a history of playing 'rope-a-dope' with the world".

Some experts suggested Iraq had gained up to a year's time, a fear which reinforced the determination of America and Britain to press the UN to set a strict deadline.

Among ministers there was concern that support for tough action would be badly hit when MPs reassemble for the Commons' emergency debate on Iraq next Tuesday. The first test will come on Monday when the full Cabinet meets to discuss the issue, with several members known to be deeply doubtful over military action.

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