S P E C I A L: The Standoff with Iraq

Back to Iraq?

Baghdad lifts ban, inspectors may return by Friday

Latest developments:

November 20, 1997

Web posted at: 8:39 a.m. EST (1339 GMT)

(CNN) -- Under a Russian-brokered arrangement announced Thursday, Iraq said it was reversing its ban on American weapons inspectors, apparently ending a three-week standoff with the United Nations that raised fears of a military confrontation.

The withdrawn inspectors, now in the Persian Gulf state of Bahrain, could head back to Iraq by Friday, according to Richard Butler, who heads the U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM) that oversees the weapons inspections.



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Baghdad celebrates 'victory'

Butler called Thursday's development "great news," but told CNN he was awaiting official notification from Baghdad and formal approval by the U.N. Security Council. Provided both those things occur, the inspectors could be "out in the field doing our work again on Saturday," Butler said in a live interview Thursday.

"Iraq will accept the return of the Special Commission in its entirety and the resumption of its work starting today, November 20, 1997." Iraq's statement "I will believe it when I see it." U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

U.S. takes wait-and-see stance, arms buildup continues

President Clinton appeared encouraged by Iraq's pledge but said he will "wait and see" whether it's carried out. "The United States must remain and will remain resolute" in its determination to prevent Iraq from threatening the world with nuclear, chemical or biological weapons, the president said at the White House on Thursday. ( 255K/21 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

Speaking earlier in Geneva, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said the agreement involved no concessions by the United States or the United Nations. The Iraqis "are prepared to have the inspectors return unconditionally," she said.

Albright credits international solidarity for the breakthrough. 281 K/21 sec. AIFF or WAV sound

"I want to see what happens. I will believe it when I see it," she told reporters, adding that it was "completely premature" to discuss reversing the recent buildup of American forces in the region.

Deal announced in Geneva, then Baghdad

Word of a possible end to the crisis came first from Geneva, where Russian Foreign Yevgeny Primakov had convened a late-night meeting of his counterparts from the United States, Britain and France and told them Iraq's parliament was ready to end the stalemate.

Less than two hours later, the official Iraqi News Agency (INA) in Baghdad was announcing Iraq's decision to allow the weapons inspectors to return.

In return, Russia will work to lift U.N. sanctions imposed on Iraq after it invaded Kuwait in 1990.

"An agreement has been reached that Iraq will accept the return of the Special Commission in its entirety and the resumption of its work starting today, November 20, 1997," said the text of the statement carried by INA.

It said "that Russia on its part will participate to implement U.N. resolutions related to the quick lifting of the sanctions and especially the implementation of article 22 of resolution 687."

Paragraph 22 calls for ending curbs on Iraq's oil exports once U.N. inspectors certify that Iraq has no more weapons of mass destruction.

The newspaper of Iraq's ruling Baath party, Al-Thawra, said Thursday that "America should not interpret Iraq's preparedness for a dialogue as a sign of weakness."

Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's agreement to readmit the American inspectors to Iraq appeared to end three weeks of growing tension, during which Baghdad threatened to shoot down U-2 spy planes, the United States sent aircraft carriers to the Persian Gulf and the United Nations pulled out all weapons inspectors in solidarity with their banished American colleagues.