Stewart Stogel
Thursday, Oct. 3, 2002

It is expected that Blix will "confer" with Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice.

Blix arrived back in New York City on Wednesday from Vienna, where he held two days of talks with Iraqi officials on the resumption of arms inspections, which were suspended in 1998.

At the conclusion of those talks, Blix told reporters that the last "logistical" issues had been satisfactorily resolved and he would prepare to send inspectors back into Iraq.

NewsMax has learned that Blix selected Oct. 19 as the date to fly into Iraq.

State Department officials were surprised at the Blix decision.

"It was news to us," confided a U.S. diplomat in New York.

The diplomat also confessed that the White House "was not pleased" with the news conference in Vienna where Blix told reporters that Iraq had resolved remaining issues on the resumption of inspections.

The diplomat explained that Blix knew pending Security Council action on Iraq could "fundamentally" alter the ground rules for future inspections.

As such, it was explained that Washington would now try to "convince" Blix to delay the U.N.'s arrival in Baghdad until "further notice."

Another senior diplomat on the Security Council admitted that "Blix should slow down." He added: "Without the support of the United States, inspections would mean nothing."

For the past three weeks, the council has been involved in intensive negotiations over the U.S. request for a new resolution that would give President Bush the authority to use force if Baghdad obstructs inspections.

The French, who like the U.S., U.K., Russia and China wield a veto, have preferred a "two-step" approach.

One resolution would strengthen inspection ground rules and warn Iraq "of consequences" if it did not cooperate.

The second would authorize force if Iraq was found to be in non-compliance with the first.

While the U.S. originally rejected the French approach, council ambassadors confirm that the U.S. "was rethinking" its position.

A senior U.S. diplomat would say only that "Washington is keeping all its options open."

Blix meets the Security Council at U.N. headquarters behind closed doors today.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Bush Administration

Saddam Hussein/Iraq

United Nations

Editor's note:
Saddam Hussein’s race to make a nuclear bomb