News Release

September 17, 2002

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Cato Expert: Give Iraq Inspections a Chance

WASHINGTON -- Cato Institute Director of Defense Policy Studies Ivan Eland issued the following statement regarding Iraq's announcement that it will admit U.N. weapons inspectors without conditions:

"Iraq has now accepted without conditions the restarting of inspections of its programs to develop weapons of mass destruction. This development should slow the U.S. government's rush to war. Although Saddam Hussein has manipulated the inspections in the past, he knows that his survival is at stake. Therefore, he actually may now have a much greater incentive than ever before to comply in good faith with any inspections. The United States and the international community have little to lose by giving Hussein a chance to fully comply with inspections before a war with Iraq is underway.

"The Bush administration has already claimed that Hussein remains in violation of other U.N. resolutions -- for example, resolutions requiring Iraq to account for prisoners from the Gulf War and pay Kuwait reparations for that conflict. But support in Congress and the international community for a U.S. invasion really hinges on Iraq's noncompliance with the requirement for weapons inspections. Now that Hussein says he is willing to reopen those inspections, the grave decision to take the country to war should be postponed."