After a four-year absence, international inspectors resumed their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq on Wednesday, and a UN team leader in the field called the initial cooperation by Iraqi authorities “a good sign.”
But even as the inspections began without incident, the Bush administration shifted its war planning into high gear. A senior administration official said the White House will dispatch a handful of senior envoys across the globe over the next few weeks to close deals with potential allies in a possible conflict with Iraq.
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz leaves Sunday on the first mission in the campaign to build a coalition for war if Iraq fails to satisfy the inspectors that it has surrendered its suspected arsenal. He plans to stop in Britain, Turkey and Belgium, where a visit is scheduled at NATO headquarters.
The administration has lined up additional trips to foster support in Russia, Asia and the Middle East, where talks will be held with Iraq’s neighbors.
The high-level diplomatic effort underscores the Bush team’s determination to strike quickly if Iraqi President Saddam Hussein fails to cooperate with the weapons inspectors.
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The first day of inspections appeared to go smoothly. The 17 monitors were divided into two groups as they began work Wednesday, with six concentrating on potential nuclear sites and the rest on possible biological or chemical weapons-related complexes.
“We have not sensed anything which obstructed us. We were welcomed in a polite and professional manner and we were able to do the job,” said Jacques Baute of the International Atomic Energy Agency, whose team is in charge of nuclear arms assessment.
The other group visited a military-run graphite plant and a nearby missile-testing site at Al-Rafah science research center, 25 miles southwest of Baghdad, the Iraqi capital.
Military guards quickly opened the gate to the compound, and the inspectors disappeared inside. They emerged about five hours later to say only that they had been granted immediate access.
The selected sites had been scrutinized during inspections years ago.
“It went according to plans altogether,” chief UN inspector Hans Blix said at the world body’s headquarters after receiving staff reports about the searches. “We are on a firm path forward.”
Promising more inspections “in all shapes and forms,” Blix emphasized the surprise nature of the searches: “We aren’t telling anyone in advance where we are going.”
The UN resolution passed unanimously by the Security Council on Nov. 8 authorizes the weapons assessors to go anywhere at any time. The measure also includes a series of deadlines.
An important one comes Dec. 8, when Baghdad must declare any weapons of mass destruction. By Jan. 27, the inspectors are required to issue their first report to the Security Council.
In Paris, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a radio interview that “the only way to avoid a military conflict” is by cooperating with the searches. But, he added, “do not believe war is inevitable.”
The United States, however, is preparing for the outbreak of fighting. The diplomatic effort that will begin this weekend ratchets up conversations the administration has initiated with potential allies, officials said.
“This is a natural extension of the process” that began with sending cables to U.S. embassies two weeks ago asking what help the administration could expect from their host countries, a senior State Department official said Wednesday.
President Bush had broached the matter with European allies at last week’s NATO summit in the Czech Republic.