Iraqi crisis not over yet

The Iraqi crisis was partly over with the return of United Nations weapons inspectors to Baghdad last Friday after President Saddam Hussein agreed to allow UN inspectors, including American members of the team, to resume their work.

The crisis erupted in late October when Baghdad ordered the expulsion of the American UN inspectors on the grounds that they conducted spy activities. The order was implemented on Nov. 13 and the UN, unwilling to be dictated by Iraq regarding the composition of the inspection team, withdrew most of its other inspectors the following day.

Iraq reversed its decision after it gained assurance from Russia, which has played a key role in defusing the three-week long tension in the Gulf, that Moscow would actively participate in the speedy lifting of UN sanctions against Iraq. The sanctions, imposed on Iraq following its invasion of Kuwait in 1990, will be lifted when the Baghdad government dismantles its weapons of mass destruction.

Confronted with the pressure from Western powers spearheaded by the United States, which have not ruled out the use of military force if Iraq remains intransigent, as well as the appeal by world leaders and a flurry of meetings undertaken by representatives of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council, Iraq has no other choice but to allow American weapons inspectors to continue their duty in Baghdad.

We all feel relieved, knowing that armed conflicts between the U.S. and archenemy Iraq can be avoided, at least for the time being, thanks to the Russian peace initiative.

The crisis, however, is not yet over, as the U.S. has dispatched a large number of war machines and troops to the Gulf, causing much concern not only to the Iraqi people and the Baghdad government but also to other countries in the region. About 30,000 U.S. soldiers, two aircraft carriers escorted by scores of battleships and hundreds of jet fighters and bombers have already been deployed in the Gulf, according to news reports yesterday.

As President Bill Clinton's national security adviser Sandy Berger put it: "This (crisis) is not over", referring to Washington's "wait and see" stance on Iraq's reverse course. The presence of massive U.S. military forces in the Gulf will be maintained until Iraq fully complies with UN resolutions, Defense Secretary William Cohen said.

Against this backdrop, many believe that tension still hangs in the region and that another crisis, possibly worse, could erupt at any time unless the UN takes prudent measures which could respond to demands from both Washington and Baghdad. The UN should be able to ensure the U.S. that Iraq is no longer producing biological weapons and that Iraq's facilities for developing such deadly weaponry have been fully dismantled.

The world body should also exercise its impartiality and independence more explicitly in carrying out its mission so as not to create the impression among member countries that it allows itself to be dictated by a superpower.

At the same time, Baghdad should demonstrate its goodwill by cooperating sincerely with the UN inspection team and complying fully with the Security Council's resolution so that the economic embargo which has caused great suffering to millions of Iraqi people can be lifted in the near future.

The United States, for its part, could help ease tension in the region by refraining from being the world's police in the region so as not to provoke anti-American sentiment among the Iraqi people and other nations in the Arab world. Besides, Washington should by no means adopt a double standard policy when dealing with violations of UN resolutions, even if the violator is its ally Israel.

At a time when the world is struggling to achieve a better future in the coming millennium, a protracted conflict will neither benefit the United States nor Iraq, be it viewed from a political or economic standpoint.