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ElBaradei: Give Iraq 'one final chance'

Mohamed ElBaradei
Mohamed ElBaradei

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Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, tells CNN's Paula Zahn that Iraq has to prove it has no weapons of mass destruction. (January 28)
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UNITED NATIONS (CNN) -- The chief U.N. arms inspector for nuclear weapons said Tuesday "Iraq now has to prove it is innocent" by taking extraordinary measures to show it no longer has weapons of mass destruction.

Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said the U.N. Security Council should give Saddam Hussein's regime "one final chance" before talking about going to war.

"I need [an] Iraq that is eager to cooperate, not just dragging its feet," ElBaradei said in an exclusive interview with "American Morning with Paula Zahn."

"With (U.N. Security Council) Resolution 1441, the burden of proof is really in the Iraqi court. Iraq now has to prove that it is innocent," he said, and "they need to go out of their way to prove" they have no weapons of mass destruction.

"We need to continue to push Iraq to come forward with evidence," said ElBaradei, agreeing with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell that it is time for Iraq to come forward.

"I am asking for time on the assumption that Iraq will hear the message and come forward with evidence so we can move forward."

ElBaradei boiled down what both he and his counterpart Hans Blix, head of the U.N. Monitoring, Inspection, Verification Commission, told the Security Council Monday in their reports on the status of the inspections.

"In the nuclear area, we are making progress. In the chemical and biological area, there is not much progress happening," said ElBaradei, who stressed that the "peace process" has not yet been exhausted despite international and U.S. impatience.

He focused on the need for the Security Council to be unified in its call for Iraq to disarm.

"I don't think we benefit from split views in Security Council," he said, referring to the differences of opinion on the pace of inspections and the timing and need for military confrontation.

"What is important is get the Security Council to keep pushing Iraq to disarm," said ElBaradei, who also insisted that "we are going to do our damn best to disarm Iraq through inspection."

When asked about Blix's more critical report, he said he respects Blix's judgment and said that his colleague believes he does not have the evidence to "exonerate Iraq" -- enough records of "production or destruction" of biological and chemical weapons.

U.S. President George W. Bush has threatened military action against Iraq if it refuses to abide by U.N. resolutions calling for it to disarm. Baghdad has repeatedly denied possessing weapons of mass destruction.

Powell warned Monday that there was "not much more time" for Iraq to verify that it has complied with a U.N. resolution to disarm.

The Security Council's 15 member nations will hold closed-door discussions Wednesday on Blix and ElBaradei's report.


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