BTL:UN Security Council Approves Resolution Renewing Iraq Weapons Inspections

U.S. interpets wording of document as authority to wage war against Baghdad for any future violations.

Interview with James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum conducted by Between the Lines' Scott Harris.

After two months of behind the scenes negotiations, a joint U.S.- British resolution mandating hardline conditions for renewed weapons inspections in Iraq gained unanimous support in the 15-member United Nations Security Council. While the Bush administration pronounced the unexpected show of support for their resolution as a victory for U.S. foreign policy, other nations interpreted the vote quite differently.

France, Russia and China all declared the vote was a triumph of diplomacy over an initial Bush administration's demand for automatic authority to launch a war. The resolution as adopted states that when and if weapons inspectors are obstructed in their work, a report of such violations will be brought back to the Security Council for further action. But Washington interprets the UN document as providing the U.S. a legal basis to go to war unilaterally if the Security Council fails to respond to Iraqi violations.

And even as the Arab league supported the resolution on weapons inspection, they too, emphasized that the Security Council vote was "not a pretext for another military action against Iraq." Although the Iraqi parliament refused to endorse the resolution, president Saddam Hussein, has agreed to renewed weapons inspections. Between The Lines' Scott Harris spoke with James Paul, executive director of the Global Policy Forum, who assesses the significance of the U.N. Security Council action and the likelihood of war.

Contact the Global Policy Forum by calling (212) 557-3161 or visit their Web site that features articles on the Iraq crisis from around the world at www.globalpolicy.org

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