Help needed re: Iraq Weapons inspectors.

[pnorman]

I just recently received this challenge: "So you don't believe me when I said that the weapons inspectors were kicked out of Iraq by Saddam during the late nineties and Clinton did nothing about it. Well, I don't blame you since I am not a member of the Democratic underground. However, I do invite you to use your internet skills to search the websites of the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, CNN, UN or any legitimate news organization of you choice to verify my statement"

My recollection is along the lines that when Saddam objected to the Inspection Team engaged in spying/espionage, the US (or UN?) pulled back the team and kept them back. Can anyone here help me get "authentic" verification (or denial)?

pnorman

[seabeyond]

1. they kicked them out in 98?

and they werent allowed back in til after bush started putting troops on border in kuwait

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Here's a great link

showing the difference between what was reported in '98 and what is reported in the past few years:

http://www.fair.org/extra/0210/inspectors.html

A snippet:

The U.N. orders its weapons inspectors to leave Iraq after the chief inspector reports Baghdad is not fully cooperating with them.

-- Sheila MacVicar, ABC World News This Morning, 12/16/98

The Iraq story boiled over last night when the chief U.N. weapons inspector, Richard Butler, said that Iraq had not fully cooperated with inspectors and--as they had promised to do. As a result, the U.N. ordered its inspectors to leave Iraq this morning

--Katie Couric, NBC's Today, 12/16/98/

The chief U.N. weapons inspector ordered his monitors to leave Baghdad today after saying that Iraq had once again reneged on its promise to cooperate--a report that renewed the threat of U.S. and British airstrikes.

--AP, 12/16/98

The United Nations once again has ordered its weapons inspectors out of Iraq. Today's evacuation follows a new warning from chief weapons inspector Richard Butler accusing Iraq of once again failing to cooperate with the inspectors. The United States and Britain repeatedly have warned that Iraq's failure to cooperate with the inspectors could lead to air strikes.

--Bob Edwards, NPR, 12/16/98

[pnorman]

4. Thanks for the RAPID replies

I just bounced it back to that little group, citing DU as my Rapid Response Team. As an added bonus, I gave them the latest Bob Boudelang Editorial. (Earlier, I had given DU a nice plug, and may bring in a few more viewers here).

pnorman

[kiahzero]

3. Visit FAIR on the topic

There's plenty of coverage of both the weapons inspectors leaving, as well as the spying. If you're on a college campus, you can reproduce the articles on microfilm. Unfortunately, I gave my copies to a POSC professor who didn't believe me.

http://www.fair.org/extra/9903/unscom.html
http://www.fair.org/activism/unscom-history.html
http://www.fair.org/activism/post-expulsions.html