IRELAND: The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen has cast doubt on proposals from France and Germany to increase the number of United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq.
Mr Cowen said: "As I understand the proposal, there would be tens of thousands of UN-designated troops left into Iraq by the Iraqi regime." Such a demand would almost certainly be regarded by the Iraqis as undermining of their sovereignty, Mr Cowen believed. "It would be questionable that the Iraqis would accept that." Urging the Security Council to adopt a common stand towards Iraq, the Minister said, "the Security Council works best and at its most effective when it operates in unison.
"I want to see this resolved within the Security Council. There are 15 members of the Security Council who have a collective responsibility to ensure that the resolutions which were unanimously passed are in fact upheld." Military action will require a second Security Council resolution, even though he acknowledged that an international legal consensus does not exist about the need for one. There is "a political requirement" for one, he said.
"There will be no case, let it be said, where the countries around the Security Council table have to defer and get away from the political judgements.
"We believe very strongly that a second resolution would be required in the event of that final step about military action being taken. I have made that very clear to Ambassador Haass.
He went on: "The political judgments will have to be made by the Security Council as to whether in fact the Iraqi regime are going to comply with this resolution." The weapons inspectors led by Dr Hans Blix and Dr Mohamed al Baradei have reported "some progress" in their dealings with the Iraqi authorities over the weekend.
"The Iraqi regime needs to know that the international community's resolve remains firm and robust," said Mr Cowen, who rejected charges that the Government is too closely allied with Washington on the issue.
"We have to do everything we can to resolve this peacefully, within the UN framework. I still believe that it is possible to resolve it peacefully, but it does require that proactive step by the Iraqi regime."
Iraq must not only comply finally with Resolution 1441, but it must also honour obligations it entered into following the ceasefire agreement in the Gulf War in 1991.
