
DATE: Wednesday, November 12, 1997          TAG: 9711120508

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: FROM WIRE REPORTS 

DATELINE: UNITED NATIONS                    LENGTH:  137 lines

U.N. PREPARES TO PUNISH SADDAM TRAVEL MAY BE BANNED; COUNCIL WON'T AUTHORIZE MILITARY FORCE

The Security Council moved Tuesday toward all but certain passage of a resolution today that will punish Iraq by banning travel by its officials.

But no mention will be made of authorizing the use of force or other ``serious consequences'' if Iraq fails to comply.

Although top Clinton administration officials Tuesday reiterated that they have not ruled out military action, the U.S. strategy, at least for now, is to emphasize diplomatic and economic pressures as a means of placating those members of the 15-nation council, notably France and Russia, that oppose military force.

Washington's aim is first to unite the council behind a clear statement that it will not countenance Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's attempts to disrupt the U.N. Special Commission (UNSCOM) charged with finding and eliminating Iraq's hidden weapons programs. Then, if progressively tougher sanctions failed, the United States could argue that force was the only option to counter Saddam's threat to the peace and security of the Persian Gulf region.

For these reasons, diplomatic sources said, the United States and its chief ally on the council, Britain, agreed that the resolution should drop a warning of ``serious consequences'' if Baghdad carries out its threat to expel American personnel.

U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson said the council will vote on the resolution today and that he expects ``near unanimity'' among the 15 council members.

Diplomatic sources said the lone holdout was China, which said it needed to consult Chinese leaders before deciding how to vote.

Council sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said several members would try before the vote to persuade the Iraqis to rescind the decision to expel American members of the weapons inspection team.

The resolution would ban Iraqi officials who interfere with U.N. inspectors from traveling abroad, condemn Iraq for its expulsion of American inspectors and suspend further reviews of economic sanctions until the inspectors certify that Baghdad is cooperating. The Security Council imposed the sanctions in August 1990 after Iraq invaded neighboring Kuwait.

Despite the strong rhetoric, U.S. and British diplomats worked throughout the day to polish and sometimes weaken language in hopes of a unanimous vote. The French raised questions about the timetable for reviewing Iraqi compliance.

Threats of force were deleted from the resolution in hopes of winning support from Russia, France, China and other nations anxious to resume lucrative trade links with Iraq once sanctions are lifted.

Egypt insisted on language affirming the territorial integrity and independence of Iraq.

Iraq issued its order to expel American inspectors last month after five council members - France, Russia, China, Egypt and Kenya - abstained on a resolution last month threatening a travel ban.

U.S. and British diplomats believe Saddam saw the abstentions as a sign of divisions on the council and sought to exploit them by moving against the American inspectors.

Iraq's deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz, admitted Tuesday that his efforts to fend off council action had failed. Aziz flew to New York on Monday to press Iraq's demand that the United Nations agree to reduce the percentage of Americans on the inspection team, stop U.S.-manned U-2 spy flights and provide a timetable for the end of sanctions.

Diplomatic sources said envoys from France, China and Russia told Aziz they could do little to argue Iraq's case as long as Baghdad defied U.N. orders.

In Washington, Defense Secretary William Cohen said America's military must prepare for ``any kind of contingency'' in the Persian Gulf. Cohen spoke as Pentagon officials considered what troops might be needed in the standoff with Saddam.

U.S. impatience with the delayed United Nations weapons inspections was clear. ``They must get back to work, and the international community must demand it,'' Clinton said.

The president, in a Veterans Day speech at Arlington National Cemetery, called Saddam's persistent interference with U.N. surveillance in Iraq unacceptable. ``I want every single American to understand what is at stake here,'' the president said.

``Time really is of the essence,'' Cohen said in an interview with Fox News. ``Not too much time should go by before this is resolved.''

``We're hoping to see a diplomatic resolution to this, but we have to be prepared for any kind of contingency,'' Cohen told ABC.

An opinion poll released Tuesday suggested that most Americans think Iraq's interference with the U.N. weapons inspections warrants an American military response.

In the survey conducted by Wirthlin Worldwide, a research firm in McLean, Va., 61 percent of those questioned said they would support a military response, 24 percent were opposed and 15 percent said they did not know or did not answer. Also, 61 percent approved of Clinton's handling of the crisis, 18 percent disapproved and 21 percent had no opinion or didn't answer. The random telephone survey of 824 adults was conducted Nov. 8 and 9. The poll's margin of error was about 3.5 percentage points.

In Baghdad, Iraq vowed again Tuesday to expel the American inspectors and shoot down any American-piloted U-2 surveillance plane used by the United Nations.

The threats by Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf came after Iraq again barred a team of weapons monitors that included Americans for the eighth time in nine days.

Several hundred Iraqi civilians spent a second day on the grounds of Saddam's main palace in Baghdad, a move intended to make it a less likely target in any possible U.S. attack. They brought in blankets Monday and have set up cooking stoves.

The move was reminiscent of Saddam's attempt before the Gulf War to use Westerners as ``human shields'' for factories and office buildings he feared would be targeted by U.S.-led forces.

In Cairo, meanwhile, Egypt's president - a key U.S. ally - urged Saddam to avoid a confrontation for the sake of the Iraqi people.

``Iraq should commit itself to implement the U.N. resolutions and the Iraqi leadership should put the interests of its people into consideration,'' President Hosni Mubarak was quoted as saying. MEMO: This story was compiled from reports by The Associated Press,

The New York Times and The Washington Post. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

Ambassador Bill Richardson is trying to unite the council and lay

groundwork for other action if Iraq continues to defy the U.N.

Graphic with photos

TODAY'S CONFLICT

Aircraft carrier Nimitz

The Nimitz, which will be Norfolk-based after this deployment, is

in the Persian Gulf. A dozen F-14 Tomcats from Oceana Naval Air

Station in Virginia Beach are on board.

Guided-missile frigate Elrod

The Norfolk ship, with a crew of more than 200, is in the gulf.

ALSO: An F-15 Eagle fighter squadron from Langley Air Force Base in