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JANUARY 1998 : (IRAQ : INSPECTIONS IMPASSE, US IS ISOLATED BY RUSSIA & CHINA) Two months later, in January 1998, the game began all over again. UNSCOM sent in an inspection team whose mission was to pursue the Iraqi concealment mechanism, and the Iraqis immediately prevented them from doing any work. On the seventeenth of that month, Saddam himself issued another ultimatum to the United Nations: lift sanctions by May 20 or Iraq would cease all cooperation with the inspectors. Butler went to Baghdad to try to resolve the impasse but got nowhere. Exasperated by Iraq's flagrant violations of the Security Council resolutions and its unwillingness to abide by its own agreements, the administration again began building up its forces in the region. But again Washington found itself isolated. Russia and China condemnded the threat of force immediately. Secretary Albright traveled to the region to build support but found little. The Saudis refused to allow the United States to use their bases, and only Kuwait was willing to do so. Even in the United States itself, polls showed declining public support for military action and increadsing confusion over the nature of the crisis. This time it was Secretary-General Kofi Annan who volunteered to go to Baghdad to resolve the deadlock. Washington feared that Annan would agree to concessions that would weaken the inspection regime and tried to convince him not to go. But he was determined. On February 23, Annan signed a new agreement with Tariq Aziz in which the Iraqis yet again promised "immediate, unconditional, and unrestricted access," while Annan promised that U.N. personnel (including UNSCOM) would "respect the legitimate concerns of Iraq relating to national security, sovereignty and dignity." Annan also agreed to new, restricted procedures for the inspection of eight huge "presidential" sites where the inspectors believed that Iraq was storing materials related to its clandestine WMD programs. - "The Threatening Storm," by Kenneth M. Pollack, pp. 89-90

JANUARY 1998 : (UNSCOM TEAM FINDS IRAQI CHILDREN'S PRISON - ACCORDING TO LATER INTERVIEW WITH SCOTT RITTER) Q : You've spoke about having seen the children's prisons in Iraq. Can you describe what you saw there?
A: The prison in question is at the General Security Services headquarters, which was inspected by my team in Jan. 1998. It appeared to be a prison for children — toddlers up to pre-adolescents — whose only crime was to be the offspring of those who have spoken out politically against the regime of Saddam Hussein. It was a horrific scene. Actually I'm not going to describe what I saw there because what I saw was so horrible that it can be used by those who would want to promote war with Iraq, and right now I'm waging peace.

(* Douchebag. You should have reported it.)

JANUARY 1998 : (SCOTT RITTER UNDER INVESTIGATION FOR SPYING- HE SAYS THE SUSPICION WAS HE WAS DOING IT FOR ISRAEL, FBI CONCERNED HE WAS DOING IT FOR RUSSIA) But in January 1998, he learned the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating him for espionage with the Israelis.
''The idea of it, questioning me on the subject of patriotism!'' he said.
To add to his ire, he had been told that the F.B.I. also held concerns about his wife, whom he had met in Votkinsk, where she had worked as a Soviet translator. Some in the F.B.I. thought she might be an agent, ''a hostile penetration attempt.'' He was furious.
- according to Ritter, take with large grain of salt.- "Scott Ritter's Iraq Complex: One man's continuing war with Saddam, Washington -- and himself ," by Barry Bearak, New York Times Magazine, November 24, 2002

1998 : (US SEC OF STATE MADDIE ALBRIGHT GOOFS UP) By 1998, Unscom itself was flagging. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright had earlier declared that even if Iraq disarmed, sanctions would continue as long as Saddam was in power. Iraqis had one less reason to cooperate. They grew more brazen in blocking inspections, and the Security Council was letting them get away with it. At the same time, Ritter was contending with a reputation as a cowboy. Some promising inspections were canceled from above at the last minute. Richard Butler, the Australian who succeeded Ekeus as Unscom's chief, told me these missions were of the ''kick-the-door-down variety'' and he thought them ''ill conceived and possibly dangerous.'' . - "Scott Ritter's Iraq Complex: One man's continuing war with Saddam, Washington -- and himself ," by Barry Bearak, New York Times Magazine, November 24, 2002

JANUARY 2, 1998 : (IRAQ, ATTACK ON UNSCOM INSPECTORS) Rocket attack on the headquarters of the UNSCOM inspectors in Baghdad; it did not cause damage because the rocket did not explode. No 'group' claimed responsibility for the attacks. * The Iraqi regime condemns the attack saying it was the act of saboteurs hostile to Iraq. - TIMELINE OF THE IRAQI CRISIS 1997-1998

(* My note: Uh, sure it was...)

JANUARY 12, 1998 : (SG/SM/6433 : TRANSCRIPT OF PRESS CONFERENCE BY SECRETARY-GENERAL KOFI ANNAN AT HEADQUARTERS, 12 JANUARY 1998)

JANUARY 13, 1998 : (IRAQ BLOCKS UNSCOM INSPECTORS) Iraq temporarily withdraws cooperation, claiming the inspection team had too many US and British inspectors. - "Key events in UN weapons inspections in Iraq," By AP September 17 2002 *
Iraq blocks a U.N. inspection team, saying the team is not balanced, having too many British and American inspectors.  Eventually the UNSCOM team leaves Iraq.- "Iraq Timeline," campaign for UN reform, http://www.cunr.org/priorities/Iraq_timeline.html

JANUARY 22, 1998 : (IRAQ REFUSES TO ALLOW UNSCOM INSPECTORS TO VISIT "PRESIDENTIAL SITES") Iraq refuses inspection of presidential sites. - "Key events in UN weapons inspections in Iraq," By AP September 17 2002

JANUARY 28, 1998 : (CLINTON STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS WARNS OF US ATTACK ON IRAQ) President Clinton delivers his State of the Union address, and says the US is prepared to carry out a military attack against Iraq. Clinton address applauded - TIMELINE OF THE IRAQI CRISIS 1997-1998

JANUARY 31, 1998 : (SPAIN : ETA ASSASSINATES SPANISH POLITICAL LEADER & HIS WIFE) Basque ETA gunman shoots dead the leader of a Spanish political party and his wife in Seville.

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1989 - 2000 + (NORTH KOREA REFINES URANIUM; US FAILS TO DETECT FACILITY) "… Tokyo: North Korea has operated a secret uranium refining plant since 1989 for its nuclear weapons program, a Japanese newspaper said yesterday, on June 10, 2000. The underground Chonma Power Plant, in north-western Chonama mountain, had a uranium refining capacity of 1.3 grams a day, the Sankei Shimbun said. About 400 people, including 35 engineers, worked at the plant, the daily said, quoting a Chinese report in which a former North Korean military official, who fled to China last year (1999), had unveiled details of the plant. Other workers were political prisoners who had been sentenced to life in prison, the missile station commander said in the Chinese report. North Korea has been suspected of secretly pursuing a nuclear weapons program, for which it would require uranium. ……The Chinese report said the United States had not detected the Chonma plant, although its technical team had inspected Kumchag-ri, 30 kilometres south-east of Chonma. Despite two inspections conducted in Kumchag, the US failed to realise that forests near the site were polluted by industrial waste water from the Chonma plant, the Japanese newspaper Sankei Shimbun said. After the second inspection, the US said late last month (June 2000 ) that the suspected nuclear site in Kumchag-ri was an unfinished, empty complex. ……." - SMH 6/10/00

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JANUARY 1998 : (IN RUSSIA, N KOREAN DIPLOMATS CAUGHT SMUGGLING COCAINE) Two North Korean diplomats based in Mexico were arrested in Moscow for attempting to smuggle 35kg of cocaine into Russia.- " North Korea: A Continuing Threat," Testimony before The House Committee on International Relations " by James R. Lilley, Resident Fellow, the American Enterprise Institute, Wednesday, March 24, 1999 see : http://www.aei.org/ct/ctlilley2.htm. Click here for an index of Testimony.