United Nations, Jan 27: Weapons inspectors should be given more time to do their jobs and disarm Iraq peacefully, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Monday ahead of crucial reports from the chief inspectors assessing Iraqi compliance. "They should be given the time to do their work and all of us, the council and the assembly, must realise that time will be necessary, a reasonable amount of time, I'm not saying forever, but they do need time to get their work done, and I suspect the council will allow that to be done," Annan told reporters.
His comments contrasted with the stance of US President George W Bush's administration, which believed that Iraq had shown over the past two months an unwillingness to comply with UN Security Council resolutions.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that the inspections had run their course, though he did not explicitly call for their end. He said that as a result of Iraq's lack of cooperation, he had lost faith in the ability of inspectors to fulfill their mission. But Annan said: "I have not given up on peace. I really hope that Iraq will comply and we will be able to get on and disarm Iraq peacefully."
Bureau Report