Iraqi Parliamentarians condemn UN Security Council Resolution in Opening Debate

Asharq al-Awsat says that the foreign affairs committee of the Iraqi parliament has recommended against accepting the UN Security Council resolution 1441 passed last Friday, insisting on the resumption of weapons inspections.

Yesterday, Saadoun Hammadi, the Speaker of the Iraqi Parliament, threw into doubt whether Iraq would accept the demands in the UN Security council resolution 1441 passed last Friday, calling many of them "impracticable." He maintained that Iraq had complied with the past UN Security Council resolutions. (This is not in fact clear to us outside observers). He added, "Every fair observer sees this resolution as contravening the terms of international law. The ill intention of this resolution is loud and clear. There are many inciteful clauses that threaten the dignity of our people." This in a report by James Drummond from Cairo for the Financial Times. Asharq al-Awsat says Hammadi charged that the resolution contained "lies" about Iraq.

The 250-seat National Assembly anyway would only make a recommendation to Saddam Hussein's 8-member Revolutionary Command Council, which would make the final decision. Drummond wonders if Hammadi's outburst signals that Iraq might reject the resolution. The report of the foreign affairs committee reinforces such a question. But this outcome seems unlikely to me, since surely the Baath high command knows that such a move would immediately embroil them in a war with the U.S. It is true that the Iraqi leadership is unpredictable.