No Nukes is Good Nukes

No nukes in Iraq?

The daily al-Sabah newspaper Wednesday had quoted sources as saying three missiles armed with nuclear warheads were discovered in a trench near the city of Tikrit, the hometown of ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein.

A U.S. military spokesman in Tikrit told United Press International that the report was untrue.

Confused? Don't worry, the UN weapons inspectors are returning!

Iraq's new government has asked U.N. weapons inspectors to return to the country, the head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog said Tuesday.

''The return of U.N. inspectors to Iraq is an urgent necessity; not to search for weapons of mass destruction but to write the final report about the nonexistence of (such) weapons ... in Iraq, which will enable the lifting of sanctions,'' Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told reporters in Cairo.

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The inspectors will be sent in the next few days, ElBaradei said.

So don't worry, they'll sort the whole mess out. But when, exactly, will they arrive?

The inspectors, who would continue their work to ensure that Iraq adheres to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, would leave as soon as safety arrangements had been made, agency spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said from IAEA headquarters in Vienna, Austria.

Outstanding! However, hopefully they're aware of this related story:

...the United Nations has been unable to secure enough troops to protect a U.N. contingent headed to the country to help with elections and rebuilding.

When the U.N. Security Council voted six weeks ago to authorize a protective force, it expected contributors to step forward. But countries have balked at taking part in a force expected to include 1,000 troops and several dozen bodyguards. Diplomats said many nations were hesitating because of the dangers — including a wave of kidnappings — and costs as well as the continuing unpopularity of the U.S. invasion.

"It's a difficult problem for these countries, especially at a time when other countries [with troops in Iraq] are pulling out, or planning to leave ahead of schedule," a U.N. diplomat said. "Discussions are continuing. So far no one has stepped forward."

(Note: the LA Times piece quoted above actually began with "In another setback for U.S. efforts in Iraq, the United Nations has been unable to secure enough troops...)

Update: More here (via GR)