Dina Ezzat speaks to Amr Moussa, and other leading players, about securing the return of arms inspectors to Iraq Having succeeded in persuading Iraq to accept the immediate return of UN arms inspectors to Iraq, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa is now busy lobbying the international community to avert the possibility of a UN Security Council resolution that might lead to a war against Iraq. "I honestly do not think there is a need for a Security Council resolution now, especially in view of the agreement that was reached between Iraq and the UN on Monday," Moussa told Al-Ahram Weekly. "I welcome this positive step taken by the Iraqi leadership, the international community [for the most part] has welcomed this step too. This step is about commitment to international legitimacy, and international legitimacy is what we should stress," Moussa said. In an exclusive interview with the Weekly , the Arab League secretary-general argued that "the Iraqi issue is now being debated in the Security Council in a different context to that of a few days. Then the debate was being carried out against the backdrop of Baghdad's refusal to allow the inspectors back. Today the inspectors are allowed immediate return." In a telephone interview from the UN building in New York on Tuesday, the Arab League secretary-general said he was still engaged in intensive talks with Western, Arab and other officials, persuading them now is not the time for a new Security Council resolution. Moussa's efforts to spare Iraq a tough UN resolution came at a time when US Secretary of State Colin Powell was insisting Washington still demands such a resolution. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday before stepping in a Security Council session on Iraq, Powell said "We will press for a resolution. If the [Iraqis] are serious they would want one." Iraqi diplomats speaking to the Weekly insist this is not the case. "What we want is to get the inspectors back, have them finish with their job, and talk with the UN about the lifting of sanctions. Now that we have fulfilled our obligations it is the turn of the UN to fulfil its." It is a line supported by Moussa, who was commended by the UN secretary-general and senior Iraqi officials for brokering Monday's deal. "I believe that the return of the inspectors should be seen as a step towards the full implementation of the UN resolution towards the end of lifting the sanctions," Moussa said, adding that further Iraqi- UN dialogue could always be conducted to allow for an agreement on pending issues. Informed sources speaking from New York point out that this argument underlies the spirit, if not the text, of Monday's agreement. The same sources reveal the Iraqis were insisting on a clear reference to the eventual lifting of sanctions in return for approving the immediate return of the inspectors. "It was not very easy to get the Iraqis to agree on a deal without this reference. It was very tough, particularly during the last round of talks between Moussa, UN Secretary-General Annan and the Iraqi Foreign Minister Nagi Sabri." The last of these three-way meetings took place on Monday, a marathon session during which the three diplomats were in constant contact with several capitals, chief among them Baghdad. The text of the letter, essentially drafted by Moussa, went back and forth between Baghdad and the UN. "We were holding our breath. Up to the very last minute of the Monday meeting the wording was being changed and corrections were being introduced," commented one source involved in the negotiations. "We worked very hard for three days, but the deal was concluded at the end." The deal, UN and Arab League sources agree, began with Moussa's Saturday suggestion to UN Secretary- General Annan that the Iraqi foreign minister should take part in the talks. "That first meeting was very hard," said one aide who, along with others, was asked to leave the meeting room to allow Moussa, Annan and Sabri to conduct a three-hour closed meeting. This was followed by a second three-hour meeting on Sunday. "By then it was becoming clear that something could be worked out," an Arab diplomatic source told the Weekly, adding that it was during this second meeting that Moussa began to work on a draft announcement. "This is a diplomatic victory by any standards," the source said. For Arab League diplomats Monday's victory vindicates more than three meetings in New York. "Secretary-General Moussa has been working hard on the Iraqi file for nine months now, since his visit to Baghdad on 18 January. And now he has delivered," said one source. Whether the deal will ultimately end the war scenario is a question with no easy answers. According to one of Moussa's aides "what we know now is that the Americans still want to push for a military action. We also know -- at least judging by reactions that have been coming out of world capitals in the 12 hours following the deal -- that it will be much harder for Bush to make his case for a war on Iraq. There are variables that could push the situation in either direction, but Secretary- General Moussa is doing his best." Moussa, for his part, told the Weekly: "The Americans say they do not trust Baghdad, and I say, you have to give the Iraqis the benefit of the doubt." Related stories: The drums of war recede... for now America's choices Temporary relief First steps Launching round II A semantic game 12 - 18 September 2002
