20 January 2003 00:00
INTERVIEW OF SERGEI LAVROV, THE PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF RUSSIA TO THE UNITED NATIONS, WITH THE NEWSPAPER MOSKOVSKY KOMSOMOLETS, PUBLISHED ON JANUARY 20, 2002, UNDER THE HEADING "WHAT ARE THE RUSSIANS SEEKING IN IRAQ?"
Ten chemical warheads is the first discovery of international inspectors in Iraq. It may also turn out to be their last. For the US this alone can serve as its "casus belli." Which automatically will spell the end of the inspectors' activity.
Moskovsky Komsomolets asked the Russian Federation's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Sergei Viktorovich Lavrov, to comment on the work of the international inspection team in Iraq.
Question: Sergei Viktorovich, how do you think the results of the inspections will influence US military plans?
Answer: The course of the inspections unambiguously confirms that to solve the Iraqi problem is possible by peaceful, political means - through verification on the ground. The inspectors have said that they still have lots of work to do, and that they're disposed towards this. As far as I understand, none of the members of the Security Council, including the United States, has objected to this so far.
And as to the Americans' intentions or plans - this I do not know and cannot know. But right now in the Security Council all are unanimously for continued inspections.
Question: How do you assess the activities of the inspection team headed by Hans Blix? After all, you have met with him...
Answer: Two teams are working in Iraq: one - under the leadership of Hans Blix; the other - under the leadership of the Director General of the IAEA, Mohamed ElBaradei. They have different mandates: for the IAEA it is the nuclear program, and for the Blix-led United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) the chemical, biological and missile programs. The inspectors' work cannot evoke reproaches for their being spineless or insufficiently active. They work, first, in a considerably larger composition than the previous special commission in Iraq. And, secondly, they are carrying out significantly more inspections: indeed, several inspections a day. Such intensity had never been there before.
Question: Are there any Russian experts there?
Answer: They are involved in both groups. It is the senior officials of the commissions themselves that determine the number of inspectors from different countries, therefore how many citizens of which countries are there now we do not know. But Russians certainly are among them. We do not control these people, because one of the basic principles for inspection activity is that it is independent. Of course, Russia is interested in seeing not only our specialists participate in inspections, but that Russian equipment should be employed there as well. In particular, of the six helicopters which have been placed at the inspectors' disposal in Iraq, three are from Russia, with our crews.
Question: How does Iraq abide by its obligations to the UN under Resolution 1441, in your opinion?
Answer: Iraq is cooperating irreproachably - this is what the inspectors themselves say. As you know, Iraq handed over to the inspectors a report on the state of its programs in the field of weapons of mass destruction. The inspectors, having studied it, asked a whole series of questions, which are now being cleared up in contacts between them and Iraq. Blix and ElBaradei will be in Baghdad these days. And we do hope that in the course of the contacts with the Iraqi leadership the inspectors will get answers to the questions still left open. And on the basis of this they will continue their activities.
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