Washington determined to work with international community to disarm Iraq

CAIRO, Egypt (AP) The United States is determined to work with the international community “to the maximum extent” to disarm Iraq and ensure it meets its U.N. obligations, the State Department’s top Mideast envoy said Saturday.

On the first leg of a Mideast tour, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State William Burns met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and discussed the Iraqi issue, Middle East tensions and bilateral relations.

Burns said he conveyed to Mubarak the determination of President Bush “to work with the international community and with the U.N. Security Council to the maximum extent possible to achieve Iraq’s disarmament.”

“The bottom line is that we must see, all of us in the international community, Iraq’s compliance to its obligations,” Burns told reporters.

Thursday, the United States, facing global opposition to a new war with Iraq, dropped its demand to include an explicit threat of military action in a U.N. resolution demanding Iraq accept unfettered U.N. weapons inspections.

U.N. diplomats have been involved in tough negotiations over the resolution since Bush told the U.N. General Assembly last month that Iraq posed a “grave and gathering danger.” Iraq responded by suddenly inviting weapons inspectors to return after barring them for nearly four years. The United States is skeptical of how much access Iraq will give inspectors.

In Cairo, Burns reiterated earlier comments made by Bush that “war is not imminent … it has to be seen as a last resort.”

Asked if the U.S. has become so preoccupied with Iraq that it has lost interest in the Arab-Israeli conflict, Burns said the “U.S. is absolutely committed to do everything we can on the Palestinian issue and on the broader Arab-Israeli issues.”

Burns said the United States is working with the United Nations, European Union, and Russia as well as allies in the region find a way to a two-state settlement.

Later Saturday, Burns held talks with Jordan’s King Abdullah II in the Red Sea port of Aqaba. According to a royal palace statement, Burns briefed Abdullah on a roadmap to solve the Palestinian-Israeli crisis.

Abdullah urged a quick solution to the Middle East crisis, saying the diplomatic roadmap must lead to establishment of a Palestinian state soon, the statement said.

Burns is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the West Bank, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Burns had no plans to meet Yasser Arafat, in keeping with a U.S. boycott of the Palestinian leader.

Meanwhile, Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa, speaking in Damascus where he met Syrian President Bashar Assad Saturday, expressed hopes U.N. inspectors would soon return to Iraq, “especially in the light of Iraq’s unconditional acceptance” of the return of the inspectors.

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Oct 18 2002. Filed under Features. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry