UNITED NATIONS — The Bush administration’s drive toward war with Iraq grew more complicated Thursday evening when Iraqi officials agreed “in principle” to comply with a U.N. order to begin dismantling scores of prohibited missiles.
Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix had ordered the destruction of Iraq’s Al Samoud 2 missiles to begin by Saturday. Many diplomats were awaiting Saddam Hussein’s response as a test of his willingness to comply with U.N. mandates to disarm.
Though it was not clear that Iraq’s acceptance was unconditional, the development seemed likely to strengthen the stand of those, led by France, calling for more U.N. weapons inspections and opposing President George W. Bush’s push toward war.
Earlier Thursday, Bush portrayed the missile issue as little more than a distraction.
“The rockets are just the tip of the iceberg,” he said. “The only question at hand is total, complete disarmament, which he is refusing to do.”
Independent experts said Hussein would gain politically by complying.
“If Iraq destroys the missiles, public opinion will be affected here and abroad,” said David Albright, a former U.N. nuclear weapons inspector who now heads the Institute for Science and International Security in Washington.
“Clearly, if they destroy the missiles the way Dr. Blix envisioned it, that will be used by opponents of war to justify their claims that inspections are working,” agreed Richard Speier, a former senior Pentagon expert on missile proliferation. “However, they really are delivering this a drop at a time. They’re not serious about disarming.”
Weapons inspectors said Thursday night that they would “clarify this acceptance” by Iraq.
Blix ordered the missiles dismantled because their range can exceed the 93-mile limit set by the United Nations after the 1991 Gulf War.
“They know how to destroy a missile,” Albright said. “You take out the propellant and burn it. If they do systematically destroy the missiles, there will be a call from publics around the world to wait.”
Little progress was evident in the Bush administration’s efforts to win support on the 15-member Security Council for a new U.S.-British-Spanish resolution that would implicitly authorize war.
Diplomats from France, Russia and China confirmed that their nations remained committed to expanding the inspections. Syria shares that position.
Bulgaria is the only country that stands firmly behind the U.S.-British-Spanish resolution.
That leaves six countries — Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Mexico and Pakistan — in the middle. Nine affirmative votes, and no veto, are required for passage.