Iraq Plays the Sanctions Game

It's decision day for Iraq. For the first time in nearly a year, the thorny question of sanctions is set to come up before the U.N. Security Council Monday. But if Iraqi leaders think their oft-quoted vision of "light at the end of the tunnel" is going to be shared by their 15 adjudicators, they have another think coming. "I predict there will be no agreement to anything being done on sanctions," said British ambassador Sir John Weston. The reason: Richard Butler's claim that UNSCOM has made "virtually no progress" in recent weapons inspections. Even the Russians, who are floating a resolution that would muzzle UNSCOM, balked at the idea of lifting the embargo itself.

Which means that Iraq could be about to play games once more with the U.N. Official Iraqi newspapers are making dark threats of sanctions-busting, while foreign minister Mohammed Said al-Sahaf told the New York Times Sunday that "trade has already started." Whether that means Iraq is selling oil illegally, risking another Gulf conflict, al-Sahaf wouldn't say. But bluster or otherwise, the timing of his statement was no accident. The Security Council can consider itself duly warned.