Pax Christi USA demands more time for UN weapons inspections

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February 2003

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Pax Christi USA demands more time for UN weapons inspections
In a January 28 statement, Pax Christi USA called for allowing UN weapons inspectors to complete their work, noting that in a January 27 report to the United Nations Security Council, U.N. weapons inspectors Dr. Hans Blix and Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei testified that Iraq is cooperating with the United Nations Monitoring Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors. That testimony says Pax Christi USA "gives us hope that Iraq’s disarmament under U.N. resolutions may soon be verified and the deadly regime of economic sanctions can soon be removed from the backs of the Iraqi people."

"Although Drs. Blix and ElBaradei pointed to the need for Iraq to move from passive to active cooperation with the disarmament process, we nonetheless are encouraged that they reported Iraq is providing full and unfettered access to all sites, that 'no prohibited activities have been found,' and that they have 'found no evidence that Iraq has revived its nuclear weapons program.'"

According to Pax Christi USA, the U.S. branch of the international Catholic peace organization, Pax Christi: "Essential in the inspectors' reports, was the clear need to see the UNMOVIC/IAEA inspection process established under Security Council Resolution 1441 through to its end.

"In seeking and receiving U.N. support for a new inspection regime, the United States, and all members, clearly committed to the whole process of inspections and must continue to respect that process in a genuine and supportive way. The costs of failure or precipitous action on the part of the Security Council are far too high in potential human suffering. The lives of innocent Iraqi civilians, as well as US, Iraqi and other national military forces, and the potential for regional and global instability all demand that the inspection effort continue to receive the unified support of the Security Council.

"The process for implementing Resolution 1441, including the daunting task of verifying Iraq compliance, were well known to all Security Council members when the resolution passed in November 2002. To short-circuit that effort now, after an initial and preliminary report, would amount to a betrayal of the commitments made by Security Council members in passing Resolution 1441."

Pax Christi USA "shares the belief expressed by Dr. ElBaradei who stated that: 'Our work is steadily progressing and should be allowed to run its natural cours . . . Another few months would be a valuable investment because they could help avoid a war.'"

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