ACCESSION NUMBER:00000

FILE ID:97112004.NNE

DATE:11/20/97

TITLE:20-11-97  UNSCOM TO RESUME WORK IN IRAQ



TEXT:

(Security Council approves inspectors' return) (270)

By Judy Aita

USIA United Nations Correspondent



United Nations -- After reviewing a letter from Iraq on resuming

weapons inspections, the Security Council November 20 gave the Special

Commission overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM) the

go-ahead to return to Baghdad.



Security Council President Huasun Qin of China told journalists after

the council's private meeting that "in view of the letter addressed to

the president by the foreign minister of Iraq and the statement of the

five permanent members, the Security Council endorses the immediate

resumption of UNSCOM and IAEA of their activities in Iraq so as to

carry out their mandate under the council's resolutions."



Qin said that the council is also "ready to consider any

recommendations by the special emergency session of the UNSCOM board

which is meeting on November 21.



UNSCOM chairman Richard Butler said that the more than 70 weapons

experts will return to Iraq from Bahrain on November 21 and begin

inspections on November 22.



"I'm satisfied by the decision of the Government of Iraq. We will go

back now and get back to work and I honestly hope that our work will

follow a normal pattern and be marked by cooperation and progress in

disarmament," Butler said.



Butler said that the council encouraged him to take up with Iraqi

officials a work program he proposed in late October, before Iraq

decided to expel the American UNSCOM weapons inspectors. The chairman

said that he and senior members of UNSCOM will visit Baghdad "at a

relatively early date."

NNNN