DATE=2/1/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=IRAQ/WEAPONS (L)
NUMBER=2-258697
BYLINE=NICK SIMEONE
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:


INTRO:  Senior U-S officials say Iraq is rebuilding 
sites hit by American and British warplanes in 
December, 1998 - targets that were suspected of 
producing weapons of mass destruction.  This, as the 
United Nations Security Council remains unable to get 
weapons inspectors back into Iraq more than a year 
after they were withdrawn.  Correspondent Nick Simeone 
reports the situation is raising new concerns over 
whether Baghdad may be rebuilding its banned weapons 
program.

TEXT:  A senior American official says Iraq's efforts 
to rebuild sites hit by bombs 13 months ago is  not  
by itself proof that Baghdad is reassembling weapons 
that could threaten its neighbors.  But it is raising 
doubts among U-S officials who in December finally got 
the U-N Security Council to approve a new resolution 
that would get weapons inspectors back on the job.

Charles Duelfer is deputy chairman of UNSCOM, the U-N 
body that for much of the past decade has been charged 
with overseeing the disarmament of Iraq.

            /// DUELFER ACT ///

      We were uncertain in December, 1998.  We're even 
      more uncertain now.  We have seen no evidence 
      that indicates any radical changes of policy on 
      the part of Iraq, so the fact that we haven't 
      been there in a year only leads us to be more 
      concerned.

            /// END ACT ///

Baghdad refuses to cooperate with weapons inspectors, 
saying it no longer has any banned weapons and wants 
all U-N sanctions lifted.  And there are differences 
among Security Council members over the usefulness of 
sanctions, with Russia, China, and France all 
advocating an early lifting.

Unlike previous showdowns with Iraq, this time the 
Clinton Administration is saying little in public 
about the matter.  In 1998, the President often used 
public appearances to restate his determination never 
to allow Baghdad to use weapons of mass destruction 
again.

UNSCOM deputy chief Charles Duelfer points to a number 
of events around the world that are giving Washington 
reason to pause.

            /// DUELFER ACT ///

      There's the economy.  Oil prices are extremely 
      high.  There's domestic politics - both in the 
      United States and Russia.  There's elections in 
      both of those countries.  There's concern about 
      the suffering of the Iraqi people.  There's just 
      a whole lot of aspects of this question. It's a 
      very intractable problem at this point.

            /// END ACT ///

Still, the U-S says it remains determined to contain 
Iraq militarily.  On Monday, American warplanes again 
took to the skies over Iraq, carrying out more strikes 
against an Iraqi air defense system after the U-S 
military said its planes were challenged over the 
country's northern no-fly zone. (SIGNED)

NEB/NJS/ENE/JP




01-Feb-2000 13:22 PM EDT (01-Feb-2000 1822 UTC)
NNNN

Source: Voice of America
.