>From The Australian, at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/index.asp?URL=/world/4157462.htm Iraqi letter sends US bombers into U-turn By CAMERON STEWART New York correspondent 16nov98 MISSILE-laden B-52 bombers bound for Iraq were forced to turn around in mid-air early yesterday when President Bill Clinton aborted a US attack after a dramatic 11th-hour backdown by Baghdad on UN weapons inspections. The Iraqi promise to return to compliance with the inspectors appeared to hand at least a temporary victory over the US to President Saddam Hussein, who has escaped military punishment yet again. But Washington said later that Iraq's offer, contained in a letter to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, was unacceptable because the letter appeared to attach conditions to the backdown. The US said any backdown must be unconditional and warned it may still launch an attack on Iraq at any time. CNN and The Washington Post quoted Pentagon and government sources yesterday as saying that at 8.30am on Saturday (12.30am AEDT Sunday), the B-52s were ordered to turn back only 30 minutes away from launching cruise missiles in what would have been the start of a devastating multi-pronged assault on Iraq. Mr Clinton has cancelled his trip to the APEC leaders summit in Malaysia to deal with the crisis. His Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, was due to turn back from the summit in Kuala Lumpur last night. "The letter we received today is not an acceptable letter from the Iraqis," said US National Security Adviser Sandy Berger. "(It is) neither unequivocal nor unconditional, it is unacceptable." But Iraq last night strongly denied the letter included any conditions. The letter, issued after a joint meeting of the Revolutionary Command Council headed by Mr Hussein, said: "The leadership of Iraq decided to resume working with the (UN) Special Commission and the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and to allow them to perform their normal duties in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the Security Council. "We offer this chance not out of fear of the aggressive American campaign and the threat to commit a new aggression against Iraq, but as an expression of our feeling of responsibility." But an annex to the letter went on to list changes Iraq would like to see in relation to the comprehensive review of sanctions and the nature of UN weapons inspections. The US and Britain interpreted these points as "conditions", however Iraq said they were merely "preferences". In an urgent attempt to clarify the situation, Iraq's ambassador to the UN, Nizar Hamdoon, yesterday delivered a second letter to the Security Council confirming that "the Iraqi decision is unconditional and unequivocal". But the US rejected the second letter as insufficient as well. National Security Council spokesman David Leavy said: "With all due respect to the Iraqi ambassador to the UN, what we're looking for is a clear, public and authoritative statement of compliance no conditions." UN Security Council members were last night divided over whether Iraq's statement on weapons inspections was acceptable. France, Russia, China and several Arab countries had immediately accepted both letters as indicating an unconditional backdown by Iraq. "We welcome Iraq's decision," said China's ambassador to the UN, Qin Huasun. Russia's UN ambassador, Sergei Lavrov, said simply: "This is not a crisis any more." Mr Annan initially said the Iraqi letter met UN requirements, but he later retreated slightly, saying: "I think they've made a step in the right direction . . . it's a positive development. But the council may want further clarifications." However, the US said it would continue to build up its military forces in the Persian Gulf until it received an acceptable, unconditional backdown from Baghdad. Mr Berger said the US did not trust Mr Hussein's word. Mr Hamdoon said Iraq had changed its mind on inspections because it believed the Security Council was now more receptive about the need to seriously review the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq after its 1990 invasion of Kuwait. "We think now we have had a better hearing for our point of view, and that the council hopefully will be more positive on the question of the comprehensive review that hopefully will be leading to the lifting of the sanctions," he said. The Security Council has already offered Iraq a "comprehensive review" once it resumes full co-operation with UN weapons inspectors. But Iraq wants the comprehensive review to give a clear timetable for the lifting of sanctions something the US and Britain have strongly opposed.
