Iraq must comply with UN Security Council Resolution 1284 which demands the destruction of all chemical and biological weapons before sanctions can be lifted, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, said in Paris yesterday.
In an interview with The Irish Times following his working lunch with the French Foreign Minister, Mr Hubert Vedrine, Mr Cowen also regretted the election of Mr Ariel Sharon and called on Israel to lift the closure of the occupied territories.
Mr Cowen described his journey, which began in Moscow on Wednesday, as "taking soundings" in the early stages of Ireland's temporary seat on the UN Security Council. While he and Mr Vedrine were lunching, the Iraqi Deputy Foreign Minister, Mr Nizar Hamdoon, held a press conference, predicting an "escalation" of Anglo-American attacks on Iraq and suggesting that "if the embargo were to be lifted, we would be ready to readmit weapons inspections".
Mr Cowen and Mr Vedrine would not comment on the likelihood of further strikes against Iraq, but insisted Iraqi compliance with UN resolutions was not negotiable. Unlike Paris, Dublin has not condemned the bombings outright. Mr Cowen stressed "it is important the [Iraqi] regime meets its obligations to its own people and the international community". If that happens, Ireland was "willing and ready" to work for an end to sanctions.
Although not explicitly stated by the foreign ministers, the Security Council must find a face-saving way to resolve the which-comes-first problem of weapons inspectors and the lifting of sanctions. Mr Cowen said the composition of the inspection missions could be made "less objectionable" in Iraqi eyes than previous teams. On the no-fly zones imposed by the US and Britain, he said there was "a divergence of opinion". Paris says the zones imposed by the US with British support have no basis in international law.
Mr Cowen also discussed the Israeli-Palestinian problem with Mr Vedrine. "We supported the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination long before it became popular or accepted," Mr Cowen said. "Clearly developments in Israel - the election of Mr Sharon - don't make it any easier . . . The real concern we have with the Middle East crisis at the moment is that closing off the borders is greatly hindering the ability of the Palestinian Authority to continue. There is a need to immediately reverse the closure policy which is greatly deteriorating the situation."
Mr Vedrine did not bring up a "recommendation" from Brussels that Dublin revise its budgetary policies, Mr Cowen said. "That issue has been dealt with and we've moved on. It's one incident in a hugely successful partnership between Ireland and European institutions." Mr Cowen said he built up a good rapport with the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Ivan Ivanov, when Ireland chaired the Council of Europe during the Chechen crisis. When they met in Moscow this week, Mr Ivanov reiterated Russia's opposition to the US Nuclear Missile Defence programme, about which Mr Cowen said "a lot of clarification is required". The Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty was "the cornerstone of the strategic balance" and Ireland would not like to see "decisions that lead to a rearmament situation".
