Iraq accepts U.N. resolution; U.K., U.S. skeptical
Wednesday, November 13, 2002 Posted: 2:37 PM EST (1937 GMT 

Workers at a manufacturing plant outside of Baghdad. The facility has been singled out as one that might be part of Iraqi efforts to build weapons of mass destruction		 UNITED NATIONS  -- The United States and Britain expressed skepticism Wednesday after Baghdad accepted a U.N. resolution demanding that Iraq allow inspectors to resume their search for weapons of mass destruction. 

In New York, Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Al-Douri, delivered a letter of acceptance to U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, telling reporters that it said, "Iraq will not have any mass destruction weapons. So we are not worried about the inspectors when they will be back in the country. Iraq is clean." 

White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that the Bush administration had not seen the letter -- but warned that if it contained "any false information or omissions, that would be considered a violation," of the resolution. 
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw welcomed the Iraqi action but also warned that December 8 -- the date Iraq must give a full declaration about its weapons program -- could be troublesome. "Iraq's intentions are notoriously changeable," Straw said. 

Russia and China also welcomed the announcement, with Moscow urging Baghdad to fully comply with the inspections and repeating its opposition to unilateral military action by the United States. (More world reaction) 

Senior White House Correspondent John King said the ambassador's claim that Iraq has no weapons may hint at bad news in the future. 

"If that is the position of the Iraqi government 23 days from now when Iraq must produce a list of its weapons of mass destruction --
Wafiq al-Samarrai: 
if Iraq produces no list and says it has no weapons of mass destruction -- then what appears at this moment to be a diplomatic breakthrough could quickly turn into a military confrontation," King reported. 

Asked why the Iraqi government had decided to accept the resolution, Al-Douri said, "We are always opting for the path of peace." 

Speaking at a Cabinet meeting, Bush -- who was scheduled to meet with Annan later Wednesday -- repeated his warning that the United States would have "zero tolerance" for any Iraqi interference with U.N. weapons inspectors. 

"There's no negotiations with Mr. Saddam Hussein. Those days are long gone, and so are the days of deceit and denial," Bush said. 

If Saddam fails to comply, "We will disarm him," he said. 

U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has indicated that a possible worst-case scenario would be for Iraq to appear to fully comply with the resolution while actually failing to comply -- leaving Washington with no basis for pursuing a military option. (Iraq's OK presents complications) 

An advanced team of inspectors is due to arrive in Baghdad Monday. That team, which will spearhead the establishment of the new inspection program, will be headed by Hans Blix, the chief U.N. weapons inspector, and Mohamed El Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

The U.S. accuses Baghdad of possessing weapons of mass destruction -- biological, nuclear or chemical -- in violation with a cease-fire it signed after losing the 1991 Persian Gulf War. 

On Tuesday, Iraq's National Assembly voted to reject the resolution but Saddam's son Uday Hussein recommended approval. 

On Friday, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously to approve the resolution and gave Iraq a week to accept it.