War with Iraq was narrowly averted in February and althoughthere is compliance with United Nations Security Council inspections,a report published today says military conflict remains apossibility.
"There is light at the end of the tunnel, provided we can solvethe mystery" of Iraq's weapons, chief UN weapons inspector RichardButler, the report's author, said Monday at a lecture and discussionsponsored by the Chicago Council on Foreign Relations at the DrakeHotel in Oak Brook.
"If Iraq gives us total cooperation, this would be over withinthe 1998 calendar year," the Australian native said.Butler credited UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan with avertingwar between Iraq and the United States."We were on the brink of war over access and now we haveaccess," Butler said. "We have four subsequent visits due to theaccord. Diplomacy backed up with force worked especially well. Icredit the secretary-general. The man is truly remarkable."Iraq was six months away from making sophisticated nuclearexplosive devices, but the facilities used for production are nowbeing monitored and it would take more than four years to re-arm,Butler said."The field of biological weapons is something of a black hole,"Butler added. "Iraq has never given an adequate account of itscapabilities, production or holdings. They spent the first fouryears in absolute denial. Two weeks ago our experts concluded Iraq'sdeclaration was not credible. What remains to be accounted for isserious."
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