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UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan said in New York Wednesday that a war with Iraq is still not inevitable after US Secretary of State Colin Powell made a presentation to the Security Council regarding Iraq's defiance of UN resolution on its disarmament.
"US officials have all along said they do not believe that war is not inevitable provided that Iraq complies," the UN chief noted.
He said the council members all reacted to the presentation and that he expects the UN weapons inspectors would put the new information into their work.
The inspectors have been instructed to follow through and report their work, he added.
He noted that the report brought by the inspectors to the council was not black and white or "gray," as someone chooses to describe it. "That was expected, given the nature of their work," he said.
Annan said the council will have to make a judgment at some stage as to whether Iraq is performing and cooperating, but he stressed it is not up to the inspectors to declare material breach. The inspectors just present the facts, it is up to the council to make that judgment, he said.
On the report to be submitted by the two chief UN weapons inspectors to the council on Feb. 14, Annan said it would be also an important report given the development since last report. The council members would look forward to seeing if there has been any development and changes in Iraqi attitude and mindset, he said.
After Powell made his case that Iraq had defied all demand for its disarmament, most of the council members still shared the view that the inspectors be given more time and a political solution to the issue is preferred.
(Xinhua News Agency February 6, 2003)
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