UN appoints new leader for Iraq inspection unit

11.45am

UNITED NATIONS - The United Nations has decided not to replace Hans Blix as executive chairman of the Iraqi inspection commission for the time being, but it intends to appoint his deputy as the acting chief officer, diplomats said today.

Demetrius Perricos of Greece, who is currently serving as the unit's director of the division of planning and operations, will become the acting executive chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) on July 1, the envoys said.

Blix, 74, is retiring to his native Sweden at the end of June after heading UNMOVIC since March 2000. Before that, he served 16 years as the head of the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency. Perricos worked at the IAEA at the same time, dealing with the end of South Africa's nuclear programme and the North Korean controversy.

The United States, which has found no illegal weapons after examining more than 200 suspected sites in Iraq over the past 11 weeks, faulted Blix for failing to produce tough reports on the government of former President Saddam Hussein before his mission was cut short on the eve of the war in March.

Except for the United States, all UN Security Council members, including close ally Britain, would like to see the inspectors return to Iraq; a recent council resolution said the their mandate would have to be redefined after the war.

Until the United States agrees to their return, diplomats believe Secretary-General Kofi Annan will not appoint a new executive director for UNMOVIC, whether Perricos or someone else.

- REUTERS

Herald Feature: Iraq