United Nations: Iraq war a human 'disaster'

[Grojlach]

United Nations: Iraq war a human 'disaster'

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The United Nations' top refugee official has warned that war with Iraq would create a human catastrophe, especially if biological or chemical weapons are used.
"Believe me, it will be a disaster from a humanitarian perspective," Ruud Lubbers, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.
In an interview recorded before Christmas and broadcast from London on Friday, Lubbers urged world leaders to avoid military action unless Iraqi President Saddam Hussein cannot be disarmed through peaceful means.
"Only, only, when Saddam Hussein does not comply with both the inspections and the consequences of the inspections ... then there can be reason for a military intervention," Lubbers told the BBC.
Friday marked the halfway point between the start of tough new weapons inspections and a U.N. report that could trigger war.
Chief weapons inspector Hans Blix is to present a report to the U.N. Security Council on January 27, 60 days after the inspections began.
There is speculation that Blix's report could spark war. The United States and Britain have threatened to disarm Saddam by force if Iraq does not co-operate fully with inspectors.
Iraq says the U.N. experts have found no evidence of banned weapons of mass destruction.
This week, inspectors began interviewing key Iraqi scientists to get information on the nation's chemical, biological, and nuclear activities.
On Friday, inspectors interviewed an Iraqi scientist about a "possible prelude to a clandestine nuclear program," a U.N. spokesman said.
Hiro Ueki gave no details and did not say whether the "program" he referred to involves possible current or past efforts by Baghdad to develop nuclear capability.
The scientist is "a metallurgist from a high visibility state company," Ueki said in a statement. "He provided technical details of a military program. This program has attracted considerable attention as a possible prelude to a clandestine nuclear program."
Ueki did not name the scientist interviewed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the U.N. agency charged with searching for evidence that Iraq is trying to develop nuclear weapons capability.
But he said the scientist's "answers will be of great use in completing the IAEA assessment."
Iraq has admitted to trying to develop nuclear weapons capability in the past, but insists it now has no weapons of mass destruction programs.
Also on Friday, inspectors went to the al-Nasr al-Atheem State Company in Baghdad, a plant for chemical-processing equipment that used to be known as the State Heavy Engineering Company.
The plant, which U.N. experts also visited on December 16, had been checked during the previous inspections in the 1990s, The Associated Press said.
Equipment at the plant can be used for both civilian and military purposes, Ueki told Reuters.
Inspectors also visited the al-Assriya Company, a Baghdad brewery that makes gin, whisky and arak -- an anise seed-based alcoholic drink.
Jinan Roger Laso, marketing director at the company, told reporters the inspectors asked questions and checked and photographed tagged equipment at the site.
"They asked us about empty tankers and we told them it is because of the Christmas holidays as the company stops production at the end of the year," Reuters quoted Laso as saying.
Meanwhile, Turkey said it was delaying any decision on whether to support possible military action against Iraq until weapons inspectors announce their initial findings.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey's de facto leader, confirmed the country's position as senior U.S. State Department and Treasury officials arrived in Turkey to discuss economic assistance for the country in the event of war.
Turkey has approved the continuation of no-fly-zone patrols over northern Iraq from a Turkish airbase, but the country remains wary of a war against Iraq.
Also on Friday, the U.S. Central Command disputed claims by Iraq that coalition aircraft patrolling the southern no-fly zone struck an Iraqi mosque.
On Thursday, Iraq claimed that a coalition strike hit multiple targets, including a mosque, and said three people were killed.
The Central Command said coalition warplanes struck Iraqi military command and control facilities about 175 miles southeast of Baghdad and that no mosque was hit. Central Command did not address the claim of casualties.

Source: CNN

[ 12-28-2002, 06:06 AM: Message edited by: Grojlach ]

[Attalus]

*Shrugs* What war isn't a human disaster? War is the attempt to impose your nation's political will on another, by force, which means that people will get killed or hurt. Which does not mean that we should not make every effort to minimise the suffering of innocent Iraqis. I much doubt that we will harm as many as Saddam has, over the years.

[johnny]

In the end, it will be for the better. Maybe the Iraqi's get a chance to really elect a president. That will never happen as long as Saddam is on the throne, and when his son takes over, they're even further away from freedom of speech.

[Dreamer128]

Iraq is a human diseaster as it is... the price for freedom will be high, but wheter it is too high is something the people of Iraq must decide for themselves...

So the reasoning here is...they might kill more of their own people so we dare not stop them from threatening to kill millions of people outside their nation? Seems kind of a bassackwards view if you ask me.

[Dreamer128]

Errr..yes.. well, thats why Saddam is concidered to be the bad guy