Let Blix Do His Job

April 24, 2003 12:31 PM

NY Times op-ed urging Bush to let Blix handle the search for weapons in Iraq:

The White House dislikes Mr. Blix for his even-handed reports to the Security Council last winter. Although he repeatedly pointed to Iraq's failure to provide the full cooperation required of it, he never produced the irrefutable evidence of Iraq's cheating that the administration wanted. Now Washington is learning how hard it is to come up with such evidence without active cooperation from Iraqi scientists. Washington's anger is misplaced. Its quarrel was with France, Russia and Germany, not U.N. inspectors. Encouragingly, Paris has now softened its differences with Washington by proposing an early suspension of sanctions against Iraq.

Mr. Blix, an international civil servant, organized a capable inspections program in the face of Iraqi obstruction and American sniping. It was never his job to provide grist for Washington's diplomacy or to decide between war and peace. He should not become a barrier to bringing back U.N. inspectors, especially since he is retiring in June.

Yet just when his experts would be free to work unimpeded, they are being rebuffed by Washington, which wrongly believes that an American-run weapons search can be as credible as a U.N. effort. Mr. Blix and his successors may not dance to Washington's tune, but that is precisely why their word on these matters is so valuable.

Without an independent party, no one is going to believe Bush when the inevitable day comes and they "find" chemical or biological weapons. Surely he must know that, so one can only assume that he truly is scared there aren't any WMD in Iraq.

Let Blix Do His Job (04.24.2003)

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