PARIS, February 20: United Nations chief Kofi Annan said he would not present Iraqi President Saddam Hussein with an ultimatum but with ideas to avert the use of force to break the deadlock over UN arms inspections.``I am not going with an ultimatum,'' the secretary-general said here yesterday on the eve of his visit to Baghdad. ``I think I have ideas that I think can get us off the hook if they are accepted.'' Annan spoke after an unscheduled late night meeting with Jordan's crown prince Hassan here. He did not give details of proposals he would make on his trip to prevent US-led strikes to force Iraq to open up Presidential compounds to arms inspectors.
Earlier, Annan had talks with French President Jacques Chirac.
On landing in Paris, the UN secretary general said times had changed and ``I hope to be in a position to convince (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein to accept certain proposals which I will put to him to avoid a military strike. I have everything I need in order to negotiate,'' Annan said.``The Iraqis themselves have promised to work in a serious and constructive manner,'' he said.
``We have everything needed to succeed if everyone worked with goodwill and a determination to avoid a futile bloodbath for people who have already suffered,'' he added, referring to international sanctions on Iraq since its short-lived invasion of Kuwait in 1990.
``Iraq does not need another military intervention, the region does not need it and the world does not need it,'' the UN chief said. ``I hope the Iraqi leaders will understand and will work with me to solve this crisis in a peaceful way,'' he said, adding he was ``optimistic, patient and persevering''.
Annan, who has said his trip was ``the last hope before war'', added, ``I hope we can have an accord the Security Council can accept without problem.''``I know Kofi Annan will do his best to maintain peace,'' Chirac said. ``I hope that wisdom and reason will prevail ... I call upon Iraq to accept the proposals of the secretary general of the UNbecause these are the proposals of the whole international community.''
Chirac and President Bill Clinton agreed over the phone that a settlement over Iraq's refusal to let UN arms inspectors into ``Presidential sites'' could be reached if Baghdad showed some flexibility.
They expressed support for Annan's mission, Chirac's spokeswoman Catherine Colonna said. French officials said Annan would have talks in Baghdad tomorrow and on Sunday.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
