ACCESSION NUMBER:00000

FILE ID:97061104.NNE

DATE:06/11/97

TITLE:11-06-97  UNSCOM COMPLAINS ABOUT IRAQI ACTIONS



TEXT:

(Iraq endangered U.N. personnel, Ekeus says) (670)

By Judy Aita

USIA United Nations Correspondent



United Nations -- The U.N. Special Commission overseeing the

destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM) appealed to the Security Council

June 11 for backing in its efforts to get Iraq to stop threatening

weapons inspection flights.



UNSCOM officials briefed the council privately on a series of

incidents in which Iraqi officials took actions that endangered the

U.N.'s Chilean helicopter and crew. UNSCOM Chairman Rolf Ekeus

notified the council earlier in the week of the series of problems

that UNSCOM has had in operating helicopters in Iraq since March.

UNSCOM officials have been unable to resolve the problems with

Baghdad.



In a letter to the council, Ekeus talked of manhandling of U.N.

inspectors and photographers on board a helicopter, grabbing the

co-pilot's controls, threats to shut off the helicopter's fuel pump,

and one Iraqi liaison saying "formally that he would do whatever he

could to stop the aircraft from flying."



"All these incidents appeared to have been motivated by a

determination on the Iraqi side not to permit the commission to

operate its aircraft in the neighborhood of areas which Iraq

considered to be 'sensitive' or 'diplomatic' sites despite the fact

that those sites were under ground inspection where access was

permitted," Ekeus said in the letter.



"In each case it was only the professional and quick response of the

commission's pilots which prevented the occurrence of tragic

accidents," Ekeus said.



Charles Dueffer, deputy chairman of UNSCOM, told journalists outside

the council chambers that "in the past few days there have been four

serious incidents in which the lives of the crews of the commission's

helicopters and the aircraft themselves were endangered through the

actions of the Iraqi air personnel on board the aircraft or through

the maneuvers of the accompanying Iraqi helicopter."



Dueffer said that "there were cases where Iraqi people on board the

helicopters tried to seize control of the helicopters; they tried to

block photography conducted by UNSCOM staff on helicopters. In another

instance, an Iraqi helicopter blocked the physical progress of the

U.N. helicopter by flying dangerously close to it."



UNSCOM has had other problems in March and earlier in June and raised

the issue with Baghdad but "the pattern of behavior has continued," he

said.



"In fact the Iraqi (personnel on the) helicopter said they were under

orders," Dueffer said. "It was clear to us that the Government of Iraq

had not changed its instructions with respect to the operations."



Thus, UNSCOM turned to the council for support.



The helicopters were flying in support of inspections taking place on

the ground, Dueffer pointed out. The purpose of the flights is to

ensure that when inspections take place on the ground Iraqi personnel

are not moving prohibited material outside the facilities. It is

important that when U.N. inspectors arrive that no materials, trucks,

people leave that site.



"These helicopters are an integral part of our ability to monitor in

Iraq and to assure they are not removing prohibited items from the

sites," he said. "As it turns out there were indications that the

Iraqis were removing things from these locations" as UNSCOM inspectors

were arriving at the site.



Dueffer emphasized that UNSCOM tries "to balance the legitimate

concerns for the national sovereignty, security, and dignity of Iraq

with our obligations given to us by the Security Council to assure

that Iraq is not conducting or hiding items or activities" related to

the banned chemical, biological and nuclear weapons and ballistic

missiles.



"We have to fly over sensitive sites," he said. "If Iraq is going to

conduct a prohibited activity, naturally the site is going to be

sensitive. If we eliminate from our purview all those areas which Iraq

declares to be presidential or sensitive, there are going to be large

parts of Iraq that we are not able to inspect. This is not logical."

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