U.N. Chief Says He’s Not Trying to Undercut U.S.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan on Wednesday assured President Clinton that he is not trying to undercut U.S. policy on Iraq or dilute the strength of U.N. weapons inspectors charged with disarming the Persian Gulf nation.

In a daylong series of meetings with Clinton, the president’s top national security advisors and congressional leaders, Annan stressed the common ground between his and the administration’s policies toward Baghdad. His assurances were an apparent attempt to combat doubts among some in Washington about his firmness toward the government of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

Also, in a gesture intended to stem concern here that the secretary-general is setting himself up as a rival diplomatic force to the United States, Annan told the president that he has no intention of injecting himself into the Arab-Israeli peace process, as some European and Arab diplomats have encouraged him to do.

Afterward, Annan received the warmest public endorsement yet from Clinton for the agreement that the U.N. chief reached last month with Hussein, which is intended to gain the arms inspectors access to secret facilities previously placed off limits by the Iraqis.

“The secretary-general deserves the thanks of all Americans for securing the agreement with the Iraqi government to open all sites to inspections,” Clinton told a crowd gathered in the White House East Room. “The commitment made to him, as well as last week’s successful U.N. inspections at sites that previously had been closed, are quite significant.”

He warned, however, that the U.S. will continue to closely monitor Iraqi cooperation with the inspectors. “The [cooperation] of the last six days must be replicated in the next six months,” Clinton said.

Annan got a more mixed message about the other major item on the agenda for his two-day visit-- repayment of some of the more than $1.3 billion in back dues that the United States owes the United Nations. Clinton and Secretary of State Madeleine Albright pledged to press Congress to come up with the money, Annan said. But Republican congressional leaders declared Wednesday that they intend to continue tying the debt-retirement legislation to anti-abortion language unacceptable to the White House, inviting an election-year veto by the president.

Annan said he remains hopeful despite such problems. “[Clinton] is going to work very hard to get Congress to release the money,” the secretary-general said.

The funds owed the U.N. by the U.S. threaten the financial stability of the organization and could cost the American delegation its vote in the U.N. General Assembly next year, U.N. officials say. Annan said that Clinton asked during their meeting about the threat to U.S. voting rights. Under U.N. rules, any country more than two years behind in its dues loses its vote.

The top item on Wednesday’s agenda, however, was Annan’s Iraq initiative, which set up new procedures for inspecting eight “presidential” compounds that Hussein had previously declared closed to the teams charged with finding and destroying weapons of mass destruction in the nation. The accord prompted Clinton and British Prime Minister Tony Blair to call off possible punitive airstrikes against Iraq, although both countries continue to keep strong military forces in the region.

Although Clinton endorsed the agreement almost immediately, administration officials privately have expressed concerns that the pact and subsequent moves by Annan to establish new lines of communication with Iraq run counter to the U.S. policy of containing and isolating Hussein. Some Republicans in Congress also have criticized the deal.

“I went to Baghdad to block an impasse, not take responsibility for Saddam Hussein’s future behavior,” Annan said late Wednesday. Annan characterized the talks here as cordial and said there were no serious complaints registered about his Iraq policy.

Annan made the following points in his talks with Clinton:

* The secretary-general backed away from assertions that the United States would need the approval of the U.N. Security Council for a military strike on Iraq if Baghdad failed to adhere to the Annan agreement. Clinton long has argued that the U.S. already has Security Council authority for such a strike. Annan said Wednesday that the United States would only have to “consult” the Security Council before an attack.

Clinton concurred. “We believe that the resolution gives us the authority to take whatever actions are necessary, but of course we would consult,” he said.

* Annan said he did not endorse a proposal to appoint a Russian as deputy chairman of the U.N. inspection program, to join an American who already holds that post. That plan is vehemently opposed by the Clinton administration. “If the U.S. feels that strongly about it, I don’t think it’s going anywhere,” Annan told reporters.

* Annan repeated an invitation to the U.S. to include its diplomats among those who will accompany inspectors on visits to the so-called presidential sites in Iraq. The diplomatic escorts are part of the agreement Annan negotiated with Hussein. Annan said the Clinton administration has not yet responded to the invitation.

* He also agreed with Clinton that the agreement should be judged over what Iraq does in the long-term, not just by what happens over the next few weeks.

Despite the good feeling Wednesday, a degree of skepticism is likely to remain in Washington. Critics have predicted that Iraq will be on its best behavior in the coming months and is likely to have removed any evidence of illegal weapons from the disputed sites.

Meanwhile, the bid to reduce the arrears of U.S. dues owed to the U.N. has been cast in doubt because House GOP leaders say they plan to attach language to the measure that would block any federal money for international family planning groups that lobby against bans on overseas abortions.

The White House raised the prospect of a veto if lawmakers press such provisions.

“We are very reluctant on the president’s behalf to extend veto threats, but he has in prior instances made clear how firmly he feels about this, and we certainly are moving in that direction [a veto] if Congress continues to move in the direction it’s moving,” said White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry.