SADDAM SAY'S "I WANT AMERICAN'S OUT OF IRAQ"
This isn't over yet. The rest of this list will take place.
NEWS ITEMS BELOW;
White House Says Iraq Step 'Unacceptable'
02:00 p.m Oct 29, 1997 Eastern
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House Wednesday rejected as
unacceptable an Iraqi decision to ban Americans from U.N. weapon
inspection teams in Iraq.
``The action by Iraq is unacceptable,'' White House spokeswoman Anne
Luzzatto said. ``Iraq cannot tell the U.N. who should participate
in the
inspections team.''
Iraq said Wednesday that it would continue to cooperate with a visiting
U.N. inspection team, at least temporarily, but that the U.S. members
must leave within a week.
In a statement on the official news agency INA, it said it was giving
the
United Nations a short period to lift trade sanctions, or it would
end
cooperation with the U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM), which
runs the teams on a U.N. mandate to deprive Iraq of weapons of
mass destruction.
Luzzatto said: ``We expect that the Security Council will take firm
action
as soon as possible against these unacceptable demands.''
Iraq has been under U.N. sanctions, including a ban on oil exports,
since
it invaded Kuwait in August 1990. It needs a clean bill of health from
arms
inspectors as a condition for an end to the sanctions.
The United States, which dominates the Security Council, has taken
a
tough position on easing the embargo, and the council is sure to reflect
the
U.S. position on the Iraqi decision to exclude Americans.
At the United Nations, British ambassador Sir John Weston said the
council's five permanent members -- the United States, Britain,
Russia,
France and China -- would meet later on Wednesday on the controversy.
Iraq took the decision after the council threatened to impose travel
sanctions
on Iraqi officials to punish Baghdad for obstructing the work of U.N.
inspectors. The Revolutionary Command Council, Iraq's supreme decision-making
body
chaired by President Saddam Hussein, took the decision and also
dismissed
the travel ban threat.
At U.N. headquarters in New York, spokesman Yasuhiro Ueki said there
were 10 Americans now in Iraq with UNSCOM disarmament teams
and
two based at UNSCOM's Bahrain office.
Calandar of events leading up to this
1997
June 21 President
Clinton and Russian President Boris
Yeltsin agree to consider
tougher sanctions against Iraq
unless U.N. weapons
inspectors certify in October that
Baghdad is fully cooperating.
Oct. 7 U.N. weapons
inspectors report Iraq still refuses to disclose full details of its
banned weapons program
and is imposing new restrictions on inspections.
Oct. 23 The U.N.
Security Council threatens Iraq with trade ban unless it cooperates
with inspectors. Russia,
China, France, Kenya, Egypt abstain in the voting.
Oct. 29 Baghdad
bars Americans from participating in U.N. weapons inspections in
Iraq. The U.N. Security
Council says ban is “unacceptable” and warns of “serious
consequences” unless
Baghdad backs down.