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France's Ambassador to the United Nations, Jean-Marc de la
Sablière, called on the UN to lift sanctions against
Iraq.
In an unusual about face, the French back the Americans on
lifting Iraqi sanctions, but Russia and Germany insist U.N.
weapons inspectors must first be allowed to complete their
work.
In a surprise move, the French all but backed the American
position on sanctions in New York on Tuesday, urging the Security
Council to suspend most sanctions against Iraq. U.S. President
George W. Bush called for an end to sanctions last week so
that oil revenue could be used to finance postwar Iraq reconstruction.
President Bush's position has been staunchly opposed by many
at the UN -- namely the Russians and Germans, who feel
sanctions should only be lifted once U.N. weapons inspectors
-- and not the American inspectors installed at the end of
the war -- have certified that Iraq is free of biological
and chemical weapons. The Americans have so far expressed
little willingness to permit U.N. weapons inspections to resume.
Who should hunt for weapons?
France's Ambassador to the UN, Jean Marc de la Sablière,
made his announcement at the Security Council meeting on Tuesday,
the first time council members met to discuss postwar Iraq.
The French also sided with Washington in the emerging
debate over who should be responsible for weapons inspections
in postwar Iraq.
"There was no U.N. mandate for the U.S. and British led
war against Iraq," said Sablière. "But the
council must take the new realities into consideration."
Given France's steadfast opposition to the war, the diplomatic
shift came as a surprise.
Under the standing U.N. resolution, the original
sanctions can only be lifted after U.N. inspectors certify
that Iraq is free of weapons of mass destruction. But the
U.S. installed its own inspectors at the end of hostilities
and has not signaled any willingness to yield authority to
a team lead by U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix.
"For the time being, and for the foreseeable future,
we visualize the inspections as being a coalition activity,"
said John Negroponti, the U.S. ambassador to the UN. "The
coalition has assumed responsibility for the disarming of
Iraq."
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer echoed Negroponti's position:
"We are looking forward, not backward. Saddam Hussein's
regime is gone, and we will need to reassess the framework
designed to disarm the regime given the new facts on the ground."
Germans, Russians call for U.N. inspections
The Americans, now joined by the French, are at odds with
most remaining members of the Security Council, who see the
lifting of sanctions closely tied to the return of U.N. inspectors.
The Russians and Germans have both stated that, though they
have nothing against the lifting of sanctions in principle,
it should only take place after U.N. weapons inspectors give
the all clear.
"We are not at all opposing the lifting of sanctions,"
said Russian Ambassador Sergei Lavrov. "What
we are insisting on is that Security Council resolution must
be implemented. We all want to know that there are no weapons
of mass destruction in Iraq and the only way to verify it
is to have inspectors see for themselves and to report back
to the Security Council. As soon as they deliver the report,
the sanctions could be lifted, I'm sure."
Germany, which once stood side-by-side with Paris and Moscow
in rejected the war, said it will await independent verification
from the UN before approving any lifting of sanctions.
Strong words from Blix
U.N. Chief Weapons Inspector Hans Blix also addressed members
of the Security Council at the meeting on Tuesday. Speaking
for the first time at the UN since the start of the war, Blix
had harsh criticism for the United States, and concurred with
the Russians and Germans that the UN should bear the responsibility
of postwar weapons inspections.
Blix said Washington and London built their case against Iraq
based on shaky evidence and had, at times, undermined his
efforts to discover the truth.
"I think it's been one of the disturbing elements that
so much of the intelligence on which the capitals (Washington
and London) built their case seemed to have been shaky,"
he said. "We may not be the only ones in the world who
have credibility, but I do think we have credibility for being
objective and independent."
Blix has announced that he will leave his position as chief
weapons inspector when his contract expires on June 30. And
even if the Russians and Germans succeed with their positions,
it is unlikely inspections will resume under Blix's leadership.
French, U.S. tensions persist
The French move may be seen as a fence-mending effort, aimed
at restoring ties with the Americans after the French took
a strong ant-war position against the United States and threatened
to use their veto in the Security Council. It may also be
aimed at ensuring France isn't sidelined from Iraqi reconstruction
efforts.
But will this olive branch be enough to put the French back
in the current American administrations good graces? Early
signals from the Bush team signal that they won't be. In an
appearance on the U.S. talk show "Charlie Rose,"
Secretary of State Colin Powell said France would suffer the
consequences of its actions prior to the start of the
war.
"We have to look at all aspects of our relationship with
France in light of this," said Powell. When asked if
there would be consequences, Powell said, "yes".
According to a BBC report, senior U.S. officials met on Monday
to discuss what kinds of tough measures should be taken against
the French.
In response to the French call for an end to sanctions a day
later, Richard A. Boucher, a State Department spokesmen seemed
less then overwhelmed, "it may be a move, you know, sort
of in the right direction."
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