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Blix for retaining UN inspectors
Washington, May 16: A top UN official has called for retaining cadre of trained scientists, who were forced to cut short their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq following the US invasion, `for cases other than Iraq.`
Washington, May 16: A top UN official has called for retaining cadre of trained scientists, who were forced to cut short their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq following the US invasion, "for cases other than Iraq."
"If the Security Council gave it (United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission) a broader mandate, it could provide the council with a capability for ad-hoc inspections and monitoring whenever it might be needed in the efforts to prevent proliferation," executive chairman of the commission, Hans Blix said.
Writing an article for the Wall Street Journal, he said the proliferation situation has deteriorated in the last few years and the spread of long-range missiles seems to be only somewhat impeded by export controls. "Clearly, we are no longer where we were only a few years ago, namely, in an almost universally shared effort to write the final chapters of the nuclear non-proliferation book. The US is developing a missile defence, has rejected the comprehensive test ban treaty, and may be interested in constructing new types of nuclear weapons," he said.
Inspection and long-term monitoring through international organisations could provide an important element in the prevention of the spread of WMD's in the Middle East, on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere, Blix claimed. Pointing out that there were no specialised inter-governmental organisations to provide inspection of missiles and biological weapons in the manner that the IAEA and the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons do in the nuclear and chemical fields, Blix said the UNMOVIC has acquired much experience in this regard - but only in Iraq.
"As for nuclear weapons, we know that the US and Russia, the UK, France, China, Israel, India and Pakistan have them. We know further that Iraq was developing them and that its capability was eliminated under international atomic energy agency, or IAEA, supervision after the Gulf War.
"North Korea currently claims it has developed nuclear weapons, while Iran denies it has any ambitions to do so. If North Korea is not induced to abandon its present course of action, it may create incentives for a further nuclear buildup in East Asia. If Iran were to move toward a nuclear-weapon capability, the Middle East situation may be further aggravated," he warned. Bureau Report
Writing an article for the Wall Street Journal, he said the proliferation situation has deteriorated in the last few years and the spread of long-range missiles seems to be only somewhat impeded by export controls. "Clearly, we are no longer where we were only a few years ago, namely, in an almost universally shared effort to write the final chapters of the nuclear non-proliferation book. The US is developing a missile defence, has rejected the comprehensive test ban treaty, and may be interested in constructing new types of nuclear weapons," he said.
Inspection and long-term monitoring through international organisations could provide an important element in the prevention of the spread of WMD's in the Middle East, on the Korean peninsula and elsewhere, Blix claimed. Pointing out that there were no specialised inter-governmental organisations to provide inspection of missiles and biological weapons in the manner that the IAEA and the organization for the prohibition of chemical weapons do in the nuclear and chemical fields, Blix said the UNMOVIC has acquired much experience in this regard - but only in Iraq.
"As for nuclear weapons, we know that the US and Russia, the UK, France, China, Israel, India and Pakistan have them. We know further that Iraq was developing them and that its capability was eliminated under international atomic energy agency, or IAEA, supervision after the Gulf War.
"North Korea currently claims it has developed nuclear weapons, while Iran denies it has any ambitions to do so. If North Korea is not induced to abandon its present course of action, it may create incentives for a further nuclear buildup in East Asia. If Iran were to move toward a nuclear-weapon capability, the Middle East situation may be further aggravated," he warned. Bureau Report