Show Me the Deal

BAGHDAD: It’s already being called the Baghdad Accord, but there’s no word yet on whether the deal inked Monday by Kofi Annan and Tariq Aziz will bring closure to the standoff over weapons inspectors. Has the secretary general averted war? “I hope so. I think I have,” Annan told CNN. The devil is in the details, of course, and we won’t see those until Tuesday’s Security Council meeting. But all signs point to a deal that brings Iraq in line with U.N. resolutions. “It is in conformity in terms of spirit and in terms of intent,” said Annan.

Naturally, the U.S. remains skeptical. National Security Advisor Sandy Berger had just three words: “Wait and see.” But Annan, a wily diplomat who was Washington’s pick for the top job, is unlikely to disappoint. He knows a deal that ties UNSCOM’s hands is not worth coming back to New York with. His spokesman Fred Eckhard indicated that one of the major hurdles in previous Iraqi offers -- time limits on weapons inspections -- was not present in this deal. So how did Annan do it? The so-called “white glove” solution, diplomats accompanying inspectors, is one possibility, but that’s just window dressing. The secretary general hinted at the real deal when he said the document mentions sanctions -- and looks down the road toward lifting them. That’s one thing, at least, that Washington won’t like the look of. Those troops in the Gulf aren't likely to come home any time soon.