The Security Council has warned Iraq of severest consequences if it violates a deal to open presidential palaces to U.N. arms inspectors, but key members said it did not give a green light for a U.S. attack if Baghdad breaks the accord. In a unanimous vote last night, the 15-member council endorsed the accord signed last week in Baghdad by Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz of Iraq and U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to open the palaces and avert a threatened U.S.-British attack. Annan said if his deal holds, he believed, “We will be moving on to a period when Iraq will complete its obligations, and the council can begin thinking of lifting the sanctions imposed more than seven years ago.” The resolution, drafted by Britain and Japan, declared that any violation of the Annan accord would have severest consequences for Iraq. U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson said the vote was a victory for the United States, noting the resolution included the severest warning that Washington had demanded. But several councilmembers, including those which have supported a hard line against Iraq, insisted the resolution was not a blank check for U.S. military action, unless the council authorizes it. The United States has maintained that it has sufficient authority to use force under several resolutions enacted since 1991.

Despite a harshly worded U.N. resolution, Iraq vows to stand by its promise to open presidential palaces to arms inspectors. The Iraqi foreign minister says the Security Council resolution warning Baghdad of severest consequences if it violates the pact is just a face-saving measure for the U.S. But Muhammad Saeed al-Sahhaf says Iraq will comply with the weapons inspection agreement endorsed by the council last night. Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz of Iraq echoes the foreign minister’s sentiments. Aziz tells the Iraqi News Agency that Baghdad is committed to the pact. Their comments are the first official Iraqi reaction to the council’s vote and come at a time when the U.S. was basically rebuked by the U.N. Security Council or set back in its efforts to be able to launch an immediate strike if Iraq did not honor its commitment.