New York - A sharply divided UN Security Council met in New York last night to consider the UN's relationship with Iraq after Operation Desert Fox. The discussion centred on the revival of its shattered seven-year efforts to destroy Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
The US and Britain have said that the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM), in charge of Iraqi disarmament, would return only if its inspectors would be allowed to work properly. Iraq has said they cannot return at all. Washington and London also say the threat of force would be kept alive and eight-year-old punishing trade sanctions would be monitored more stringently to cut down on smuggling.
In contrast, France is suggesting a new kind of UNSCOM, presumably less aggressive than the current unit and more like the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
President Jacques Chirac of France has called for "a new organisation, new methods" so the UN could exercise "effective control over Iraqi arms and their future development".
Mr Chirac has also suggested an end to the oil embargo, which is linked to certification that Iraq's weapons of mass destruction have been accounted for.
Several Security Council members would like to see Mr Richard Butler removed as chairman of UNSCOM, and Moscow has called for his dismissal openly. Others who support him question whether it makes sense for him to continue in his post.
In turn, Mr Butler said he would not resign unless he were the sole cause of Iraq's refusal to co-operate with arms inspectors, which he doubted was the case. So far, however, the US and Britain still strongly back him.