Iraq drew criticism from the White House Monday for firing on U.S. planes in the no-fly zone above Iraq, fueling speculation that the United States would accuse Iraq of violating the U.N. security resolution it agreed to last week.
The speculation came as a team from the United Nations arrived in Iraq to set up offices and meet with Iraqi officials in preparation for the arrival next week of the first group of weapons inspectors.
Hans Blix, executive chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, said actual inspections would begin Nov. 27, according to a U.N. release.
Iraq must comply with the strict U.N. resolution or face military action from the United Nations or the United States, which has said it will not rule out unilateral military action.
\The United States believes that firing upon our aircraft in the no-fly zone or British aircraft is a violation, it is a material breach,"" White House Spokesperson Scott McClellan said during a press briefing Monday. ""Any time someone fires on our aircraft we take it seriously. And we will respond accordingly, as we have been, and we will continue, as we've indicated, to reserve that option to take it to the Security Council.""
However, McClellan stopped short of saying the United States would go to the Security Council.
Iraq has fired on U.S. planes in the no-fly zone many times in the past, according to UW-Madison Political Science Professor Charles Franklin. No-fly zones are areas above Iraq that U.S. planes patrol to exclude Iraqi aircraft. They are not authorized by the United Nations.
""I don't think shooting at planes is seen by ... the rest of the U.N. as being a breach of this particular security contract,"" Franklin said. ""It makes no sense to call it a breach ... if it's not going to help you with the rest of the U.N.""
Franklin said Iraq's recent actions echo its cantankerous past actions. Before the weapons inspectors pulled out of Iraq in 1998, Iraq employed ""cheat and retreat"" tactics to interfere with inspectors' work, such as creating spontaneous demonstrations that blocked inspectors' motorcades, Franklin said.
""It was a remarkably effective strategy in terms of frustrating the United States and frustrating public opinion,"" he said. ""They were good at it before and I can't imagine they're not going to be good at it now.""
Iraq has until Dec. 8 to declare to the U.N. Security Council any weapons of mass destruction or programs to create them.
