By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, December 15 -- As US Vice President Joe Biden travels to the UN on Wednesday hoping to preside over the passage of three resolution on Iraq in the Security Council, well placed sources have told Inner City Press which of the three resolutions had still not been finalized late Tuesday, and which Council members opposed the other, nuclear resolution.
At 5:30 Tuesday afternoon, a self described “senior US official” told some of the UN press corps that two of the three resolutions were “in blue,” meaning with text to vote on finalized, and a third was still not ready.
The official also argued that despite Iraq's failure to yet ratify the International Atomic Energy Agency additional protocol, a resolution allowing nuclear imports should be adopted Wednesday.
From this, some assumed that it was the nuclear or Weapons of Mass Destruction resolution which was the one outstanding.
But later on Tuesday Inner City Press was informed that “the Oil for Food resolution was delayed, Iraq was supposed to turn in a letter but only turned it in late, let's see if the bureaucratic wheels turn fast enough for Biden to brag about its passage.”
Inner City Press was also informed that opposition in the Council to removing nuclear import restrictions on Iraq began with the United Kingdom, then Austria -- specifically objecting to Council action before Iraq ratifies the IAEA additional protocol -- and then, and perhaps still, China.
