Blix Opposes Regime Change by Force

Hans Blix, Chairman of the Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission, expressed his opposition to any military attempts that are targeting for regime changes in North Korea or Iran as a solution to the nuclear crises, according to the AFP’s report on June 1.

Blix, the former chief United Nations weapons inspector who conducted his probes in Iraq, clarified this position to the U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and President of the General Assembly Jan Eliason as he was submitting the commission’s report on plans for reducing WMD threats.

The Commission of WMD was created in 2003, under the initiative of Anna Lindh, a former Swedish minister of foreign affairs who was assassinated in the same year. The Swedish government scouted Blix to head this Commission, which consists of 14 committee members.

"In such states (North Korea and Iran), incentives to acquire nuclear weapons may be reduced by offers of normal relations and assurances that military intervention or subversion aimed at regime change will not be undertaken," Mr. Blix said.

Jin Lee leej@donga.com