February 14, 2003
A South African offer to help Iraq disarm weapons of mass destruction has been accepted by both Baghdad and UN weapons inspectors due to issue a critical report, President Thabo Mbeki said on Friday. Speaking at the opening of Parliament, Mbeki said a South African team had offered to share its own experience of the disarmament of weapons, an example which has been lauded by the chief UN inspector in Iraq, Hans Blix.
Blix and the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, Mohammed ElBaradei, on Friday make a report which could determine whether the UN Security Council backs United States and British calls for war or urges further arms inspections.
"Recently we proposed to the government of Iraq and the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Kofi Annan, that this team should visit Iraq," Mbeki said. The aim would be for the team "to share with the government, scientists, engineers and technicians and the people of Iraq our experience relevant to the mission of the UN and Iraq to eradicate weapons of mass destruction.
"I'm pleased to inform the honourable members that Iraq has accepted our offer, which we have already discussed with the leadership of the weapons inspectors," Mbeki added. Blix praised what he called "the South African model of co-operation" in the United Nations last month and urged Baghdad to adopt it.
A decade ago Blix was the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) when its inspectors travelled to South Africa to verify claims that all the country's nuclear weapons had been dismantled. This work had "resulted in the South African example of disarmament being recognised internationally as an example of best international practice," Mbeki said.
Iraq's Deputy Prime Minister Tareq Aziz praised South African efforts to prevent a military attack on the country during a visit to Baghdad by Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad. Receiving Pahad on Sunday Aziz hailed "efforts deployed by South Africa and its President Thabi Mbeki to stop aggression" against Iraq.
"Iraq continues its cooperation with the UN disarmament inspectors and their application of Resolution 1441," the INA news agency agency quoted Aziz as saying, in reference to the UN Security Council resolution passed in November that paved the way for no-holds barred inspections.
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