(5 Mar 1995) English/Nat
The United States says it has enough votes in the UN Security Council to keep sanctions on Iraq.
Iraq's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, said over the weekend he doesn't expect the UN to slacken its 4-and-a-half-year-old embargo at the March 13th review.
White House Chief of Staff, Leon Panetta said the United States thinks it has enough votes in the United Nations to keep sanctions against Iraq intact.
Speaking today (Sunday) after appearing on a news programme in Washington, Panetta maintained that Iraq is producing weapons of mass destruction.
SOUNDBITE:
"Madeleine Albright, Ambassador Albright, just completed a tour of nations. Basically presenting to these nations our concerns with Iraq because they still are continuing to produce weapons of mass destruction. They have not abided by the conditions that have been laid down in UN resolutions. And we feel that they have got to take steps in that direction before we loosen the sanctions here. She has been very successful in that effort. We think we can win that right now in the United Nations because I think we can make a very a good case that they are continuing to produce these weapons of mass destruction."
(Do you feel the US has the support?)
"That's correct, that's correct."
SUPER CAPTION: LEON PANETTA, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF
The U-N vote on continuing sanctions against Iraq is scheduled for March 13th.
Security Council members France and Russia favour some sanctions being lifted. But the United Sates and Britain favour continued strong sanctions until Iraq complies with all U.N. resolutions, including ending human rights abuses and returning Kuwaiti
prisoners of war.
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