Close Enough

WASHINGTON: President Clinton says Kofi Annan's Iraq deal is good enough for the U.S. -- the rest is up to Saddam Hussein. "The proof is in the testing," Clinton said at an afternoon press conference announcing his support for the deal, which he said promises UNSCOM inspectors "immediate, unrestricted, unconditional access" to now-restricted sites. But he stressed that U.S. troops will remain at the ready in the Gulf should Saddam renege on his latest agreement.

TIME U.N. correspondent William Dowell says this apparent resolution to the Iraq standoff does indeed hinge on what Clinton called "the big 'if'": whether Saddam, in coming days, does what he says he's going to do. "While the U.S. will raise its concerns and questions in the Security Council Tuesday, they’re more likely to want the deal tested as soon as possible —- while the U.S.-led strike force remains on standby —- by sending an inspection team to a suspect site," says Dowell. "If Iraq blocks such an inspection, that would show bad faith by Saddam Hussein and revive the case for a military strike."

What did Saddam get from Annan? The U.N. head says the possibility of easing sanctions was indeed addressed in the deal -- an aspect that the President studiously avoided Monday. But it seems that whatever relief Annan may have promised Iraq is firmly dependent on Hussein's opening the last of his palace doors to U.N. inspectors.