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A dispute rooted in war
From International Correspondent Brent Sadler
BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- The ongoing dispute between Iraq and the United Nations dates back to 1990-91 and the Gulf War, when U.N. inspection teams were given the authority to pry into decades of Iraq's secret research, development and storage programs in the chemical, biological and nuclear fields. Stockpiles of deadly nerve and mustard gas -- and the means to deliver them -- went up in smoke.
Throughout this process, the Iraqis maintain, they were on their best behavior, cooperating to help destroy weapons of mass destruction.
But U.N. inspection officials say the Iraqis have not been cooperative. Some doors were opened to them, they say, but others were closed, with the Iraqis often offering weak excuses for denying them entry.
"'They can't find the keys. The stores are locked and so on and it could take some time,' and sometimes we have no access at all," said Nils Carlstrom, director of the Baghdad Monitoring and Verification Center.
After the Gulf War, the Iraqis were compelled to accept the most rigorous, thorough and technologically advanced monitoring system the world has seen. A network of about 100 cameras at some two dozen facilities was installed to ensure that Iraq followed the rules.
Iraq: U.N. overstepping bounds
Seven years into sanctions, Iraq says U.N. teams have gone beyond their mandate and have no reservations about barging in and trampling over culture and tradition.
In an attempt to illustrate their grievances, Iraq made available to CNN videotape showing a heated exchange between U.N. inspectors and Iraqi officials.
The video, taken by Iraqis, appears to show that some inspections were needlessly provocative or dangerous and led to sharp exchanges.
"If I come to your house from the fence, what would you do? Even if I belong to United Nations?" an Iraqi man asks a U.N. inspector on the tape.
"You are never going to come to my house," the inspector responds.
"Why not? Why not just a question for discussion?" the Iraqi asks.
"It's not a matter of discussion," the inspector says. "The U.N. has certain rights under Security Council Resolution 687."
Some U.N. officials admit privately that there has been some bad behavior on their side by American personnel who acted like "cowboys " But, by and large, U.N. officials say, the team has conducted itself properly.
But bad behavior is not what troubles Iraq. It's the fact that some of the members of the U.N. inspection team are American. No matter how many weapons are destroyed, Iraq says, the United States will not be satisfied until the Iraqi government is overthrown.
"The American government says openly, clearly, that it's not going to endorse lifting sanctions on Iraq unless the leadership of Iraq is changed," said Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
Although Iraq has said it will allow Americans to return to inspect for weapons, the United Nations steadfastly refuses to let Iraq dictate who serves on their inspections team. The two remain at odds as the dispute drags into its eighth year.
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