§ 11. Patrick Mercer (Newark)What discussions he has had with the United Nations concerning the prospect of weapons inspectors visiting Iraq. [30491]
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (Mr. Ben Bradshaw)In the United Nations Security Council, we regularly review the prospects for a resumption of UN weapons inspections in Iraq. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary led intensive discussions on that in the margins of the United Nations General Assembly ministerial week in November. The UN expects Iraq to comply fully with its disarmament and monitoring obligations, and to permit the immediate return of UN weapons inspectors.
§ Patrick MercerDoes the Minister agree that it is now high time Iraq abided by UN Security Council resolution 731 678, and allowed on-site inspections throughout Iraq? Does he agree that only by so doing can Iraq leave the cabal of rogue states and join the civilised world?
§ Mr. BradshawYes. I think Iraq knows exactly what it must do to comply with UN resolutions. It is very simple. There have been vague signs recently that some elements of the regime may be having a change of heart, but I should warn the House that we have seen this before. What we want is action, not just words.
§ Mr. Tam Dalyell (Linlithgow)Instead of issuing warnings like this, would it not be at least prudent to listen to what Baghdad has to say to Kofi Annan?
§ Mr. BradshawAs I just said, Saddam Hussein has done this before when he has felt under pressure, and he rightly feels under pressure now, post-11 September. He has put out feelers; he has spoken to a number of people, including those in the United Nations. These, however, are simply diplomatic ploys. We should wait and see whether any of his moves are followed by actions rather than words.