Iraq allows weapons inspectors to return

Iraq agrees to weapons inspections

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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- In a letter handed over to the United Nations on Monday, Iraq said it would allow the return of U.N. weapons inspectors "without conditions" to "remove any doubts Iraq still possesses weapons of mass destruction."

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"This is not a matter of inspections. It is about disarmament of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and the Iraqi regime's compliance with all other Security Council resolutions," McClellan said in a written statement. "It is time for the Security Council to act."

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http://www.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/meast/...ter/index.html

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NEW YORK (AP) -- President Bush will use a U.N. speech Thursday to demand that Iraq admit weapons inspectors and to urge world leaders to insist on Saddam Hussein's compliance, U.S. officials said.

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http://www.westernherald.com/vnews/d.../3d8041f795b53

Well, inspectors are apparently going to be let back in - unconditionally. But that isn't good enough for the administration; well, what can Saddam do to ensure that Bush doesn't push forward with war, unilaterally or otherwise? Is there anything he can do to avoid war?

I feel Bush will go on like this war threat until saddam quits or get killed...

I feel sympathy for those millions of poor hungry iraqi people who doesn't have power to speak against their leader..
hiss

As long as Iraq doesn't try and pull the same type of Crap they did when the inspectors were there a few years ago I think they will avoid a war... If they start harassing the inspectors again or not allowing them unconditional access even one time I think they (the Iraqis') are going to get a lot more than a few Tomahawks...

4MidgetHitmen

I must say that I am kinda surprised that he said that he is going to let the inspectors back unconditionally. Of course, that doesn't mean that he will not be hiding the weapons anyway. But who knows, maybe he will try to avoid war at all costs this time. It would be a shock, but a welcome one. Who am I, but I don't want us to go back to war with him.

I just read the text of the leter the Iraqi government sent to the UN... You can find it here:

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,63256,00.html

It sounds good until the last paragraph... That one amkes it sound like they are going to do the same 5hit they did a few years ago... When they booted the inspectors out last time they sited the same reasons as in the last paragraph of their letter...

4MidgetHitmen

It seems convenient to me that Saddam waited so long to let the inspectors in.Come on what the he!! do you think he was doing in that time.Stashing weapons or playing board games.Even if the UN gets close to some of the stashed weapons do you really think they're going to be allowed to lay their eyes on them?
I know it looks like a nuclear hazard sign mr. inspector sir,but that's really the women's bathroom,and being a guy and all you can't go in there.
Here we go again.

this is just 'spin'. he's buying time.
actions speak louder than words. have to see that they do as they promised they would, but now it will be much harder for the bush administration to get the europeans support, so in that saddam has succeeded. the u.s. has dismissed this as a tactical ploy and they are right in my opinion.

I agree w/ hornet. My opinion has been that all this time, the non compliance by Iraq has just been a smoke screen, (which is further exacerbated by the US wasting time screwing around with the UN, trying to get their support), Iraq has been getting the weapons out of the country, either by stashing them somewhere, or, even worse, selling them off to other militant organizations (like the Al-queda). Of course they'll let us in now, they've got all the weapons out of the public eye. I think, that if we get to close to the munitions, and Iraq once again starts causing trouble, we DON"T HESITATE to take action, whether the UN will help us, or not.

do u all think they can search all over the irag territory to find irag's chemistry or bomb lab. wat i noticed its irag really like to build sth underground. n how bout the build it in the dessert. or if they have companion and build it in their companion country. but do u think irag will have the money to build all those thing with their economic crisis. but my friend told me
B - beat
U - Up
S - Saddam
H - Hussein
lol... but this war rise again after Bush take over the world. nothing happen when Clinton incharge. so ..... wat Bush really want to do?

I think Saddam stalled long enough to get everything moved to a secure place. It isn't like he hasn't done it before. If there is anything, and if it's found, the whole game will start again. The inspectors won't be allowed in and the posturing will start. No team of a few inspectors, as somebody mentioned, can search that entire country. It's a game of hide and seek played out in a country the size of Texas. Ten or twenty inspectors are looking for a few needles in that area.

I wouldn't be surprised if they do find some stuff, probably old, ineffective, and no good, but the current manufacture will be well hidden.

Well, They should let them back in now. They had plenty of time over the past 11 years to stockpile all their weapons in underground bunkers and hide everything. I just hope the inspectors know a fasle door or a real well when they see one.

I suppose that all here agree that most of our military conflicts allowed our military weapons experts to test new types of weapons and deployment of such. In the Kuwait conflict we found out what would and would not work in a desert campaign, in Afganistan we learned how to destroy underground bunkers and complex procedures to inspect the aftermath for hidden weapons caches, etc. Saddam boasted in the Kuwait conflict about his vast underground fortresses, and how they were inpenitrable. Do you really think our government has forgotten these things? No way d00dz!! This letter is just Saddams way of stalling for more time, his "fortresses will not be found by any inspectors, not unless he has one or two "clean" ones for show. War with Iraq is ineviteable, I only hope we can knock out the terrorists, and their cohorts first. Isreal will ultimatly pay if we do not take immense measures to kill their opposition first....just MHO.

This time, I think Israel will pay a greater price than in the last war. When we go in, Saddam isn't going to forget Israel. The guy is nuts.

That is my thoughts as well Chuck56. I have a chat friend in Israel that I call RocketDodger, he laughs about it too. He is a helecopter pilot in their army. He is terrified about the possibility of a war between Iraq and the US. He has been trying to find work here so he and his family can get out of there with their lives somewhat intact.

Just my opinion here, but Saddam can't get to us with his rockets. I'm not discounting that he has sleeper cells in this country by now, along with those Usama has, just waiting for the word to go. I'm fairly certain Saddam has the newer, more accurate SCUDS. Israel is easily within range and he'll use them and some of them will get through. It's inevitable. I wish the best for your friend and his family. If he's a qualified chopper pilot, I'm sure he'll find work here.

According to Jane's Defense Weekly Saddam does have the newer SCUD B's a bit more range than the ones he used in the Gulf War but still about the accuracy of a WWII German V-2... It can hit a city but where in the city is anyones guess... I too wish your friend the best of luck... Like Chuck56 said if he can fly a chopper he will get a job that pays very well...

I have to say that I think that Bush is playing his cards right by meeting with the UN. He doesn't want to look like he is one to just ignore what everyone else thinks. I also agree that he has already decided that he wants to go to war with this guy, but he wants to see if he can get a few people on his "side" and at the same time, look good for talking about it first with the UN. I agree that this war is inevitable, and it is becoming clearer and clearer to me that Sadaam is just buying time and stalling to prepare for whatever it is that he wants to do in addition to pulling the wool over the inspectors' eyes. Maybe we can do a better job of preventing him from rebuilding this time...I hope...

Interesting comment from the ambassador to the UK from the Arab League (the Arab League was the main body that persuaded Iraq that it should allow the weapons inspectors back in).
He said that the offer from Iraq was not unconditional, and would be restricted to "military sites".
This sounds fine in theory, but when you have a leader that is prepared to hide items in civilian buildings, or designate suspect buildings as ‘baby milk’ manufacturing centres, then the offer looks rather worthless.
A lot depends on what terms the UN negotiates with Iraq, and more importantly, what happens when they get there.

The one thing a lot of people seem to be taking for granted is Israels military.Although it's not the biggest military in the world,they have exceptionally well trained troops.I know Israel can't fight off the whole terrorist community by themselves,but they can hold their own in many situations.Israels troops have far more combat experience than most US and European troops.They just fall a little short on the technology and population side.I think the sooner we cut through the red tape and get a large force into the middle east the better.Saddam did the exact same thing last time with the UN.
You can come in and look around,but you can't go in there or in there.
The Iraqi diplomats in the UN are already implying restrictions on the inspectors by saying that they can come in,but they have to respect the privacy and security of Iraq.

I agree with you Hornet... The Israeli military has been fighting for a long time... I don't think that we are goingto be able to keep them out of this war with Iraq... And that means this thing is going to get a lot bigger than most people realize... This has the very real potetial of becoming WWIII if the cards aren't played just right...