Powell Says U.S. Planning to Protect Iraqi Oil Fields But No Decision on War Yet

30/12/2002| IslamWeb

President Bush has made no decision yet on using force against Iraq but the United States was positioning itself militarily for whatever might be required, Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Sunday.Powell said the United States was awaiting the findings of United Nations arms inspectors working in Iraq. "I think that this can't go on indefinitely," Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press" program.

Powell added that Washington was making plans to protect Iraqi oil fields so that they can be used for the benefit of the people of Iraq and preventing their destruction by what he described as falling regime.

Powell also said that the White House is studying the possibility of increasing Iraqi oil production should the regime be finally ousted so as to use proceeds in reconstruction in Iraq in the post war phase.

INSPECTORS VISIT IRAQ CUSTOMS DEPARTMENT

U.N. inspectors have meanwhile spent three hours at the Iraqi customs department Sunday in their hunt for signs of weapons programs, while a short-circuit at the inspectors' headquarters in Baghdad brought Iraqi firefighters into the normally off-limits hotel.

Experts say Iraq has gone to great lengths to hide weapons of mass destruction, secreting programs in civilian areas and turning civilian materials to military uses. A search of customs department records could help inspectors determine what Iraq has imported that might help it develop banned weapons.

As usual, the inspectors left the customs department without speaking to reporters. They also went to a state-owned electronics factory and an engineering firm.

The inspectors also went to a chemical engineering design firm as well as two other locations in Baghdad: the Eyz Co. and the Salam Factory. The Eyz Co. produces electronic, communication and power distribution equipment. The Salam Factory produces communications equipment for civilian and military purposes.

Also Sunday, 12 more U.N. inspectors arrived in Baghdad, bringing to 110 the number of those who have worked in Iraq since inspections resumed Nov. 27 after a four-year break.

A day earlier, in response to a key U.N. demand, Iraq gave the inspectors a list of more than 500 scientists who have worked on nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs.

U.N. weapons sleuths hope that the list, written in Arabic, will open more avenues to learning about Iraq's suspected weapons of mass destruction programs.

Meanwhile Sunday, an electrical short circuit meant Iraqis were allowed into a place usually off-limits - the inspectors' headquarters.

U.N. spokesman Hiro Ueki said a small fire from the short circuit broke out on the ground floor at about 7 a.m. but was extinguished quickly.

"It did not affect the premises for inspectors, which are located on the top floor," Ueki said.

An Iraqi civil defense official, who refused to give his name, said the short circuit was in the computer room. Three Iraqi fire engines and a police car raced to the hotel that has been converted into offices and living quarters for inspectors on the outskirts of Baghdad. Iraqi firefighters left the hotel carrying scorched papers and small pieces of twisted metal.

Security has been tight at the three-story Canal Hotel. Cleaning and maintenance crews from Cyprus, where the inspectors have another base, were flown in to ensure Iraqi access to the building would be minimal. The building was swept for electronic listening devices before the inspectors moved in.

PHOTO CAPTION

Secretary of State Colin Powell gestures as he speaks with moderator Tim Russert on NBC's 'Meet the Press' during a taping at the NBC studios in Washington Sunday, Dec. 29, 2002. (AP Photo/Alex Wong, Meet The Press)