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Following a tense standoff between Iraq and the United States last winter, Iraqi President Sad-dam Hussein allowed United Nations weapons inspectors unfettered access within Iraq, according to the secretary general of the United Nations, Kofi Annan.
Last winter Iraq expelled the inspectors, claiming that some of the team members were actually American spies. The United States and Great Britain threatened military action if Iraq did not allow the inspectors unrestricted access within Iraq, and both countries prepared for military action. War was averted, however, after Kofi Annan met with Saddam Hussein, convincing him to allow the inspectors to return. The inspectors are trying to uncover evidence that Iraq continues to produce three different kinds of weapons of mass destruction—nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons (see box opposite).
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The five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council—the United States, Great Britain, France, China, and Russia—disagree over how to deal with Iraq. France, China, and Russia want the United Nations to reduce inspections of Iraqi arms facilities and to ease the sanctions that were imposed at the end of the Persian Gulf War. The United States and Great Britain contend that Iraq still possesses weapons of mass destruction and must be carefully monitored.
- Why does the United Nations insist on inspecting weapons facilities in Iraq?Answer
- How do the five members of the United Nations Security Council differ with regard to policy toward Iraq?Answer
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