Iraq's vice president said in an interview published yesterday that Baghdad was ready to allow UN weapons inspectors to visit eight presidential palaces, a key sticking point with the US.
"As far as we are concerned, the inspectors can search and inspect however and where ever they would like," Taha Yassin Ramadan told the German Der Spiegel newsmagazine in response to a question as to whether inspectors could also visit the presidential palaces.
Iraq agreed at meetings in Vienna on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 that inspectors could examine President Saddam Hussein's eight palace compounds, subject to special procedures in a 1998 memorandum approved by the UN Security Council. Washington has argued that those conditions do not amount to unfettered access.
It was not clear whether Ramadan's remarks meant that Iraq was now willing to abandon the procedural restrictions on palace access set out under the 1998 memorandum.
Iraq said yesterday it was ready to receive UN arms inspectors on October 19. But it ignored demands from chief UN inspector Hans Blix on how to facilitate unrestricted access to suspected weapons sites.
The inspectors are charged with finding and neutralizing any Iraqi nuclear, biological or chemical weapons programs or ballistic missiles.
The US has argued that the previous inspection regime had permitted Iraq to hide weapons, especially in eight so-called "presidential palaces", and to block or evade legitimate inspections.
Ramadan characterized Iraq's recent position on inspectors as one without any limitations.
"When our friends in the Arab world and in Europe asked us to allow a return of the inspectors, we approved it without any conditions or limitations," Ramadan told Der Spiegel.
In Washington, meanwhile, President George W. Bush is considering plans for a postwar Iraq that could keep US troops in the Middle Eastern country long after President Saddam Hussein's departure.
One model being reviewed is the post-World War II occupation of Japan by an American-led military government, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday. Another, he said in a National Public Radio interview, is the postwar occupation of Germany.
Powell said no single model has been selected, but American troops would be bound to remain in Iraq if the US fights a war to depose Saddam ``until you could put in place a better system.''
White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said ``the United States will not cut and run'' if Bush considers it necessary to disarm Iraq by force under authority granted by Congress. Administration policy is that Saddam must be removed from office.
``The administration is working to find ways to help achieve stability for Iraq and for the region,'' Fleischer said. ``And we are considering a variety of ways to do so with our international partners, with the possibility of the United Nations'' being involved as well.
Several administration officials said Bush's top aides, including national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, would oppose a military government. Among their concerns: Occupation might inflame Iraqis along with Muslims in other countries.
But as Bush moves closer to war if Iraq refuses to disarm, his bid for backing from the UN is encountering stiff resistance, especially from France.
In a move to placate France, US diplomats offered to remove a threat to use all means necessary to force Iraq to disarm. France still objected because the resolution would threaten consequences if Iraq remained defiant.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said, ``The member states want a two-stage approach: Send in the inspectors, and if they get into trouble, if it fails, come back and we will pass the second resolution.''
Congress, on the other hand, gave the president authority to use force against Iraq, even without the United Nations if necessary, and Bush plans to sign the resolution next week.
Iraq's parliament was to hold an emergency session yesterday to respond to the Congress vote.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday said it is expected to issue a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong this afternoon and a land warning tomorrow. As of 1pm, the storm was about 1,070km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, and was moving west-northwest at 28 to 32kph, according to CWA data. The storm had a radius of 250km, with maximum sustained winds of 173kph and gusts reaching 209kph, the CWA added. The storm is forecast to pass near Luzon in the Philippines before entering the South China Sea and potentially turning northward toward Taiwan, the CWA said. CWA forecaster Chang Chun-yao (張峻堯) said
PREPARATION: Ferry lines and flights were canceled ahead of only the second storm to hit the nation in November, while many areas canceled classes and work Authorities yesterday evacuated more than 3,000 people ahead of approaching Tropical Storm Fung-wong, which is expected to make landfall between Kaohsiung and Pingtung County this evening. Fung-wong was yesterday morning downgraded from a typhoon to a tropical storm as it approached the nation’s southwest coast, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, as it issued a land alert for the storm. The alert applies to residents in Tainan, Kaohsiung, Pingtung and Taitung counties, and the Hengchun Peninsula (恆春). As of press time last night, Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Yilan, Miaoli, Changhua, Yunlin, Pingtung and Penghu counties, as well as Chiayi city and county had
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) yesterday issued a sea alert for Typhoon Fung-wong (鳳凰) as it threatened vessels operating in waters off the Pratas Islands (Dongsha Islands, 東沙群島), the Bashi Channel and south of the Taiwan Strait. A land alert is expected to be announced some time between late last night and early this morning, the CWA said. As of press time last night, Taoyuan, as well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties had declared today a typhoon day, canceling work and classes. Except for a few select districts in Taipei and New Taipei City, all other areas and city
VIOLATION OF NORMS: China’s CCTV broadcast claimed that Beijing could use Interpol to issue arrest warrants, which the MAC slammed as an affront to order The Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) yesterday condemned the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for attempts to intimidate Taiwanese through “transnational repression.” The council issued the remarks after state broadcaster China Central Television (CCTV) yesterday during a news broadcast aired a video targeting Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Puma Shen (沈伯洋), threatening him with “cross-border repression” and saying: “Stop now, or you will be next,” in what Taipei officials said was an attempt to intimidate not only Shen, but also the broader Taiwanese public. The MAC in a statement condemned the threat, accusing Beijing of trying to instill fear and self-censorship among Taiwanese and
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