UN News Service: Die Arbeit der UN-Waffeninspektion

New York, Mar 17 2003 5:00PM

Even as United Nations weapons inspectors were about to be withdrawn from Iraq, they supervised the destruction of two more Al Samoud 2 missiles today, bringing to 72 the total destroyed since the 1 March deadline for beginning the process.

UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) teams also erased software for launch calculations in a command and control vehicle for the missile, prohibited because it exceeds the 150-kilometre limit imposed by Security Council resolutions, and other related materials and components.

UNMOVIC conducted a private interview with a biological scientist, the fourteenth such private interview since the beginning of the process in mid-January, while biological and chemical teams inspected the Tikrit Dairy Factory, which processes milk and derivatives, and the Al Sina Centre.

New York, Mar 14 2003 1:00PM

United Nations weapons teams supervised the destruction of four more banned Iraqi Al Samoud 2 missiles today, bringing to 65 - more than half the estimated total - the number destroyed since the 1 March deadline set for starting the process.

Also destroyed were seven warheads, some propellant tank cylinder parts, and other materials related to the missiles, which are prohibited because they can exceed the 150-kilometre range imposed by Security Council resolutions.

UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) teams also burned and dumped chemical wastes left over at Al Muthanna and inspected a destroyed ballistic missile launcher site west of Mosul.

A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) performed a motorized radiation survey in northeast Baghdad in an area that included residential, industrial and military infrastructure.

New York, Mar 15 2003 7:00PM

Three additional Al Samoud 2 missiles were destroyed in Iraq today under the supervision of United Nations inspectors conducting the international disarmament probe there.

Also destroyed at the Taji Technical Battalion were one launcher, warhead parts and a propellant tank, according to Hiro Ueki, a spokesman for the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

UNMOVIC missile experts also went to the Al Qaid Warhead Filling Plant of the Al Qaa Qaa State Company and placed tags on five Al Fatah warheads.

In another development, the Baghdad Government yesterday gave the UN a list of names of "additional persons who had been involved in the past chemical weapons programme," Mr. Ueki said. The list contains 183 names.

Earlier this month, UNMOVIC "pointed out that Iraq had listed less than 132 'experts, specialists, and technicians,' to use Iraq's term, as having worked in the entire chemical weapons programme," Mr. Ueki recalled. "UNMOVIC databases indicate that over 325 individuals were engaged in chemical weapons-related research or had responsible positions associated with agent production at the Muthanna State Establishment alone."

In other inspection activity today, chemical warfare specialists from the Commission probed the Daura Oil Refinery, located south of Baghdad, "to identify changes in the site during the last four years," Mr. Ueki said.

An UNMOVIC biological team inspected the Al Rhashidyah Military Store, while other UNMOVIC experts flew by helicopter to inspect a site in the area of Jabal Hamryn, approximately 180 kilometres north of Baghdad.

In addition, a Mosul-based multidisciplinary team inspected a large underground facility, Mr. Ueki said.

Meanwhile, an IAEA team visited two large government-owned engineering companies: Daura SEHEE, whose main task is to manufacture vessels for the oil, gas and civil industries, and the Tho Al Fe
manufactures components for small rockets.

A second IAEA team performed a car-borne radiation survey 60 kilometres northwest of Baghdad.

New York, Mar 14 2003 1:00PM

IRAQ: 3 MORE BANNED MISSILES, 7 WARHEADS DESTROYED UNDER UN OVERSIGHT

New York, Mar 13 2003 4:00PM

United Nations arms inspectors supervised the destruction of three more banned Iraqi missiles and seven warheads today as they continued to scour food plants for possible evidence of biological or chemical weapons.

The destruction of Al Samoud 2 missiles, banned because they can exceed the 150-kilometre range imposed by Security Council resolutions, and their warheads brought the total to 61 and 35, respectively, since the 1 March deadline set for starting the process. Twenty-two fin-tail sections were also destroyed.

Meanwhile, a biological team from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) inspected the Fasten Frozen Foods Co. Ltd, which produces dairy products, including ice cream, yogurt and cheese, while a chemical team visited the State Company for Canned Foods. That facility was found closed due to a holiday.

In other news, one inspector was killed and another injured in a traffic accident involving an UNMOVIC vehicle. The name and nationality of the dead inspector are being withheld until the next-of-kin have been informed. A spokesman for UNMOVIC in Baghdad said an inquiry is being conducted into how the accident occurred. "The UNMOVIC colleagues' thoughts are with his family at this difficult time," Hiro Ueki said.

New York, Mar 12 2003 6:00PM

As members of the United Nations Security Council continued private talks on the way forward in ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, the 15-nation body concluded its open debate among non-members today.

Speaking on behalf of the European Union (EU) and 13 other countries, Ambassador Adamantios Th. Vassilakis of Greece, which currently holds the EU Presidency, urged that more time be given to UN weapons inspectors, although he warned that the process could not go on indefinitely.

The EU's objective remained the full and effective disarmament of Iraq and it wanted to achieve that disarmament peacefully, Ambassador Vassilakis said. That was what the people of Europe wanted, as well. War was not inevitable. Force should be used only as a last resort.

Ambassador Vassilakis reiterated the EU's full support for the ongoing work of the inspectors. They must be given the time and resources that the Council believed they needed, he said. But inspections were not an endless process and could not continue indefinitely in the absence of full Iraqi cooperation.

For his part, Ambassador Isaac C. Lamba of Malawi, speaking on behalf of the African Group, said that the peaceful disarmament of Iraq, in line with resolution 1441, was possible with a little measure of extended patience and perseverance spent on the search for peace through the United Nations.

He said in the present situation, the heavy consequences of war in Iraq would be felt very acutely, even in Africa. The overspill of the war would conceivably create a regional conflagration as the conflict transcended the borders of Iraq. The economic consequences of the war would also impact negatively on poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. Africa would witness almost total collapse of its nascent industrial base and economic development for lack of capacity to accommodate the pressures resulting from war.

The African position, Ambassador Lamba said, did not endorse war at the present stage. The inspections required more time than the unrealized deadline of 17 March as suggested in the draft resolution on which the Council would vote. The inspections could not continue ad infinitum but a realistic timeframe would enhance the credibility of the Council's intentions. Any war against Iraq would have to be sanctioned by a resolution from the Council.

The United States, United Kingdom and Spain have introduced a draft resolution that presents Iraq with a 17 March deadline to cooperate fully with disarmament demands, which France says it will veto. France, Germany, the Russian Federation and other Council members have voiced opposition to action at this time and seek continued and enhanced weapons inspections.

Throughout the second day of debate, several of the 25 countries that took the floor spoke in favour of continued inspections while others said it was clear that Iraq had not cooperated fully, but nearly all appealed for Security Council unity. The session was held at the request of the Non-Aligned Movement in order to give the wider UN membership an opportunity to express their views to the Council.

New York, Mar 12 2003 1:00PM

United Nations arms inspectors supervised the destruction of three more banned Iraqi missiles today, continued their search of food plants for possible evidence of biological weapons and checked factories and a medical centre for chemical and nuclear evidence.

Since the 1 March deadline set for starting the process, Iraq has now destroyed 55 Al Samoud 2 missiles, banned because they can exceed the 150-kilometre range imposed by Security Council resolutions. UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) teams also destroyed missile-related materials and components.

UNMOVIC conducted a private interview with an Iraqi who had taken part in the unilateral destruction of chemical precursors in 1991, the tenth such private interview since 28 February. During this period, UNMOVIC was unable to interview five people in private due to a condition they insisted on.

Biological teams, meanwhile, inspected the Al Baghdadyia Co. for Juice Industry, which makes orange-and grape-flavoured drinks, and the Iraqi Dairy and Ice Cold Products Company, which produces milk derivatives such as cream cheese, yogurt and ice cream. A chemical team inspected the That Al Suwavi Co., which produces fibreglass materials and products.

A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected the Saddam Centre for Cancer and Medical Genetics Research and the Saddam Neurosciences Centre in Baghdad in connection with the use of radioisotopes.

New York, Mar 11 2003 3:00PM

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan made a new appeal today for Security Council unity in the face of differing approaches to ridding Iraq of banned weapons of mass destruction and repeated earlier statements that war should only be a last resort.

"Obviously, we need to exhaust all possibilities to resolve this issue peacefully before force is considered," Mr. Annan said during a press encounter in The Hague, where he attended the inaugural session of the International Criminal Court (ICC). "But a united Council working with unity of purpose and direction can make that difference and I think attempts are being made, as difficult as it is, by the Council to come together and to move forward."

The United States, United Kingdom and Spain have introduced a draft resolution that presents Iraq with a 17 March deadline to cooperate fully with disarmament demands, which France says it will veto. France, Germany, the Russian Federation and other Council members have voiced opposition to action at this time and seek continued and enhanced weapons inspections.

Asked about the effect of a French veto on Council unity, Mr. Annan said: "Not very good for the unity but we have seen this before. Many vetoes have been cast, I hope we will be able to come together on this one but to be able to come together on this one and avoid the vetoes implies that we need to come with a compromise that everybody can rally around and say this is the direction we are going to go and put pressure on the Iraqi authorities to disarm."

Despite the different approaches, Mr. Annan said everybody was agreed on disarmament itself. "The people in the streets, the government, everybody, is insisting on disarmament and that is why the public mood must not be misread by the Iraqi authorities," he added.

Before attending the ICC ceremony, the Secretary-General met with Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkanende of the Netherlands and Foreign Minister Jaap G. de Hoop Scheffer for over half an hour, discussing a wide range of issues. He is scheduled to meet later today with Brazilian Foreign Minister Celso Amorim before returning to New York tomorrow.

Monday evening in New York, top UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said Iraq should have declared a remotely piloted plane, but when asked by reporters whether that provided the "smoking gun" of Iraqi non-compliance, he replied, "No, we're not yet at that stage at all. We're investigating what the drones are."

Mr. Blix, Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), said that for the drone to be illegal it would have to have a reach longer than 150 kilometres and be linked to the delivery of bio-chemical weapons. He said Iraq had given the range as 55 kilometres and that they had been flying it for 10 minutes

New York, Mar 11 2003 5:00PM

United Nations inspections teams supervised the destruction of three more banned Iraqi missiles today and visited a food plant, three factories and a construction facility for possible evidence of proscribed biological, chemical or nuclear weapons programmes.

Iraq has now destroyed 55 Al Samoud 2 missiles, banned because they can exceed the 150-kilometre range imposed by Security Council resolutions, since the 1 March deadline set for starting the process. UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) teams also supervised the destruction of nine warheads, a launcher, some propellant tanks and small components for the missile.

UNMOVIC sought a private interview with an Iraqi researcher in the chemical field today but the researcher insisted the questioning be tape-recorded. It therefore, did not proceed - the fifth case since 28 February in which a private interview did not take place due to a condition insisted upon by the interviewee. Nine private interviews have taken place since 28 February.

A biological team inspected the Canning Foods Co. Ltd, which produces tomato products, date syrup, cheese, vinegar, and watermelon jam, in Kerbala, about 100 kilometres southeast of Baghdad, while a chemical team checked three factories belonging to the State Company for Battery Manufacturing. A multidisciplinary team inspected the Mosul branch of the Mesopotamia Seed Company.

A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected the Ur General Establishment, which manufactures aluminium products for the construction industry and a variety of copper wire products for the power and communications industries.

New York, Mar 11 2003 7:00PM

As United Nations Security Council members wrestled with widely differing approaches to ridding Iraq of weapons of mass destruction, the 15-nation body today gave the floor to non-members to voice their views at the request of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM).

"In the name of humanity, we appeal to the members of this Council not to resort to military action against Iraq," Zainuddin Yahya, Charge d'Affaires of Malaysia, current NAM president, said, stressing that the Movement's 116 Member States represented two thirds of humanity. "There is no dishonour in responding to the appeals of the international community to prevent the use of force against Iraq."

The United States, United Kingdom and Spain have introduced a draft resolution that presents Iraq with a 17 March deadline to cooperate fully with disarmament demands, which France says it will veto. France, Germany, the Russian Federation and other Council members have voiced opposition to action at this time and seek continued and enhanced weapons inspections.

"This Council must strive for a peaceful solution to the current situation," Mr. Zainuddin said, welcoming Iraq's decision to cooperate with UN inspectors and calling on it to continue to actively comply with Security Council resolutions. "We believe this is possible without resorting to war. The Council should remain conscious of the untold misery that war will inflict on the countries and people in the region."

Speaking at the outset of the Council's debate, the Permanent Representative of Iraq to the UN, Mohammed A. Aldouri, reasserted that Iraq was cooperating with UN inspectors and said the goal of the United States and Britain was not disarmament "but rather to put their hands on our oil and control the area."

Stressing that Iraq had taken the strategic decision to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction, Mr. Aldouri said peaceful means, dialogue and cooperation were the shortest and best way to resolve the current crisis.

"My delegation calls upon the international community to prevent a catastrophe which has become imminent and calls upon the Security Council and the Secretary-General of the United Nations to shoulder the responsibilities in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations and that is to thwart any aggression aiming at Iraq," he said.

For his part, Ambassador Mohammad A. Abulhasan of Kuwait said Kuwait supported the US-UK-Spanish draft resolution. He said it reflected the Council's determination with respect to Iraq's challenge to the international community and deserved full support.

Meanwhile, the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States, Yahya A. Mahmassani, referred to reports by the UN weapons inspectors that Iraqi initiatives were now active or even proactive and that inspectors would take only months to complete their work. What present and looming threat existed to wage war at a time when the inspections were proceeding vigorously towards the verification of the elimination of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, he asked.

After hearing from representatives of 28 delegations, the Council suspended its meeting and will reconvene tomorrow to accommodate the remaining speakers.

New York, Mar 9 2003 2:00PM

The United Nations today supervised the destruction of six more Al Samoud 2 missiles and 11 additional warheads in Iraq, according to a spokesman for the world body.

"To date, a total of 46 Al Samoud 2 missiles have been destroyed, along with 16 warheads, 1 launcher and 5 engines," spokesman Hiro Ueki said. Another missile team went to the Al Qaa Qaa storage site to verify the emptying and tagging of warheads for Al Samoud-2 missiles before inspecting the facility's solid propellant production plant.

UN experts also probed the Al Fatah Factory of the Karama State Company and destroyed some mechanical parts of guidance and control assemblies for Al Samoud 2 missiles.

Meanwhile, a germ warfare team of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) supervised the transfer of excavated R-400 bombs and fragments to a more secure area of the Al Aziziyah Airfield and Firing Range.

UN chemical weapons experts visited the Tadmur Company for Tanning and Leather Industry. "The company had been declared as using declarable chemicals," Mr. Ueki said. "The team learned, however, that the company had closed sometime ago."

Inspections were also carried out in areas northwest of Kirkuk.

Experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected the General Systems Company, which produces electronic control equipment and is located in central Baghdad.

"Another IAEA team performed a car and foot radiation survey that included surveying the insides of buildings in the Jurf al Naddaf complex, south of Baghdad," said Mr. Ueki. "The area surveyed contained warehouses engaged in seed and grain sorting and handling, a small plastic water pipe factory with adjacent family residence, a builder's yard, empty warehouses, and a large modern plastic bag manufacturing building."

In another development, Mr. Ueki reported that on Saturday evening, the IAEA conducted a "completely private interview" with an

New York, Mar 5 2003 6:00PM

Top United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix said today that he expects to release by the end of the week a list of 29 remaining issues that Iraq needs to resolve in order to be in compliance with UN demands that it rid itself of banned weapons of mass destruction.

Speaking after Iraq destroyed nine more banned Al Samoud 2 missiles today, its highest daily number yet, Mr. Blix, Executive Chairman the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), told a news conference in New York that the working paper "contains 29 clusters of issues and each cluster ends with a number of questions as to what Iraq could do in order to solve the issue."

The release of the paper would come almost three weeks before a Security Council deadline for UNMOVIC to provide a work programme containing what it considers the key remaining disarmament tasks and indicating what it plans to do in these tasks and what it would demand that the Iraqis do. Mr. Blix declined to identify the key issues.

Mr. Blix reiterated, however, that Iraq's destruction of the Al Samoud was real disarmament. "There is a great deal more of cooperation now and the threat (of serious consequences) certainly has brought it there - I hope it is not too late," he told the UN Correspondents Association (UNCA). "Certainly the chopping up of the missiles is the most spectacular, the most important and tangible."

He also mentioned Baghdad's provision of documents that had not been found before, greater cooperation in interviewing Iraqi scientists and the digging up of R-400 biological bombs on which Iraq took the initiative.

Meanwhile in Iraq, UNMOVIC supervised the destruction of the nine missiles, which the UN says can exceed the 150-kilometre-range limit mandated by Council resolutions, bringing the total to 28 since the 1 March deadline set for starting the process. The concrete casing of the two already destroyed casting chambers was also destroyed.

UNMOVIC conducted another private interview with an Iraqi scientist while chemical and biological teams supervised the final disposal of neutralized mustard gas at Al Muthanna and further excavation at Al Aziziyah of R-400 bombs, which Iraq says had been filled with biological agents and were destroyed in 1991.

International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA) teams inspected a State-owned trading company and the computer centre of a State bank and performed a car-borne radiation survey in an area southeast of Baghdad.

New York, Mar 5 2003 5:00PM

Reacting to media reports of an internal United Nations document about proposals for Iraq, Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said there was no UN plan for administering post-conflict Iraq and stressed that the world body has been focusing instead on dealing with the humanitarian side of a potential conflict.

"There is no UN plan for managing or administering Iraq," Mr. Annan told reporters this morning at United Nations Headquarters in New York. "There is some preliminary thinking but there is no plan and no document."

"We have been doing lots of good work and contingency planning for the humanitarian aspects and obviously some preliminary thinking on what would happen if there were to be war and the other aspects of post-conflict Iraq," he added.

The Secretary-General emphasized that the UN has "no mandate to make these plans" and that yesterday, at a lunch with Security Council members, he had discussed "very clearly" the status of the UN Secretariat's contingency planning, particularly on the humanitarian aspects.

"We did raise some of the legal and important issues that would be posed if there were to be a war," he said, adding that there was "no UN plan for administering post-conflict Iraq."

Speaking to the press later in the day, a spokesman for the Secretary-General noted that in addition to the humanitarian and peacekeeping activities regarding Iraq currently mandated by the Security Council, the UN had a "moral obligation" to examine what happens to these efforts should there be a war.

Spokesman Fred Eckhard said that as an extension of that contingency planning, a former official of the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Rafeeuddin Ahmed, "was asked to look at what might be asked of us after the humanitarian needs had been dealt with, drawing on our experience with past post-conflict situations." Mr. Eckhard explained that Mr. Ahmed had "put some ideas on paper" for Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette, who is heading an internal task force.

Mr. Eckhard also dismissed as "pure speculation" reports that the UN has been asked to step in three months after the end of a conflict. "To my knowledge we have not been informed by anyone, and certainly not by the Security Council, of what would be expected of us post-war," he said.

New York, Mar 5 2003 3:00PM

Iraq destroyed nine more banned Al Samoud 2 missiles today, its highest daily number yet, bringing the total to 28 since the 1 March deadline set by United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix for starting the destruction.

UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) teams supervised the destruction of the missiles, which the UN says can exceed the 150-kilometre-range limit mandated by Security Council resolutions, as well the destruction of the concrete casing of the two destroyed casting cambers.

UNMOVIC conducted another private interview with an Iraqi scientist while chemical and biological teams supervised the final disposal of neutralized mustard gas at Al Muthanna and further excavation at Al Aziziyah of R-400 bombs, which Iraq says had been filled with biological agents and were destroyed in 1991.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) teams inspected a State-owned trading company and the computer centre of a State bank and performed a car-borne radiation survey in an area southeast of Baghdad.

New York, Mar 4 2003 4:00PM

The most "delicate question" currently before the Security Council - that of Iraq - will be taken up on Friday with an open briefing by the chief United Nations weapons inspectors, the current President of the 15-nation body said today.

In a press briefing on the Council's programme of work for the month of March, Ambassador Mamady Traoré of Guinea said that even though there was a previous agreement that Friday's meeting would be closed, during "open and frank" consultations this morning it was decided to hold an open debate as Foreign Ministers from France, Germany, Spain and Syria had confirmed their intention to attend and other Ministers might follow suit.

During the meeting, Hans Blix, Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), and Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will brief the Council and Council members will express their views. Afterwards, the Council will address the matter in closed consultations.

Ambassador Traoré said other important matters on the Council's agenda for this month include questions concerning Africa, particularly the situations in Côte d'Ivoire, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone, as the continent has been plagued by one crisis after another during the last 10 years.

On 18 March, the Council will organize a workshop - to be attended by Secretary-General Kofi Annan and presided over by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Guinea, François Lonseny Fall - on the proliferation of small arms and light weapons and the use of mercenaries as a threat to peace and security in West Africa.

"The West African sub-region is particularly beset with never-ending conflicts and many citizens in the sub-region are cut down by gunfire from these weapons," he said. "The socio-economic development of these countries is largely compromised, therefore, because of this situation."

The Council will also address the question of Timor-Leste, where the situation was deteriorating, Ambassador Traoré said.

IRAQ'S DESTRUCTION OF MISSILES 'POSITIVE' BUT STILL MUCH MORE TO BE DONE - ANNAN

New York, Mar 4 2003 3:00PM

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called Iraq's destruction of banned Al Samoud 2 missiles and its offer to provide more details on its VX nerve gas and anthrax a "positive development" but repeated the views of UN weapons inspectors that "there's much more to be done."

Speaking to reporters at UN Headquarters in New York, Mr. Annan stressed the importance of unity within the Security Council, which is wrestling with two plans for moving forward on Iraq's disarmament: a draft resolution tabled by Spain, United Kingdom and United States declaring that Iraq has failed to take the "final opportunity" to rid itself of weapons of mass destruction, and a French-German-Russian memorandum calling for bulked up and continued UN inspections.

The different approaches before the Security Council were part of the democratic process, the Secretary-General said. "We are trying to resolve a very difficult issue and various members have put forward proposals to try and resolve the differences in the hope that one can bring the Council together for them to work in unity," he said. "I've always maintained it is when they work in unity that they are their most effective."

Warning against action outside the UN, the Secretary-General said: "There are suggestions that if the Security Council does not vote for action, then its credibility would be mortally wounded. I tend to believe that if the Council were to manage to come together and resolve this crisis effectively and successfully, the credibility and the influence of the Council will be enhanced. On the other hand, if the action were to be taken outside Council authority, the support for that action - popular and otherwise - would also be diminished."

Mr. Annan added that the UN is much larger than the Iraqi crisis, saying that it was overstating the case to say that it would go the way of the League of Nations if the Security Council did not vote one way. "I think the historical comparisons are not as simple as it appears," he said. "The Iraq crisis in one of the issues we're dealing with. Yes, it's the most important one today. But we're dealing with economic, social, humanitarian and other issues. We're dealing with many other crises around the world."

He also said he had been in touch with various governments but discounted a visit by himself to Iraq at this time. "I have indicated that, obviously as Secretary-General, my good offices are always available," he said. "But in the present circumstances, I'm not sure what a visit to Iraq would achieve and what message one would take to Iraq."

Meanwhile in Iraq today, UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) teams supervised the destruction of three more Al Samoud 2 missiles, bringing the total to 19 since 1 March, as well as a launcher, five engines and the second and last missile casting chamber. A biological team inspected the Ibn Fernas Centre, which is involved in the development and production of remote piloted vehicles (RPVs) and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). UNMOVIC also conducted two more private interviews, one with a manager associated with Iraq's former chemical weapons programme.

New York, Mar 3 2003 2:00PM

Iraq destroyed six more banned Al Samoud 2 missiles today, bringing the total to 16 since the 1 March deadline set by United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix for starting the destruction.

Iraq has also indicated it will soon provide the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) with its proposed approach for the quantitative verification of VX nerve gas and anthrax that it says it has already destroyed, Hiro Ueki, spokesman for the inspectors said in Baghdad. Mr. Blix has listed the question of how much banned VX and anthrax Iraq made and what happened to it among 30 still unresolved issues. Iraqi officials held a technical meeting with UNMOVIC over the issue yesterday evening.

UNMOVIC also conducted a private interview with an Iraqi scientist today. In his latest report delivered to the UN Security Council on Friday Mr. Blix said UNMOVIC had so far been unable to interview satisfactorily those believed to have knowledge about the disarmament because nobody not nominated by the Iraq side was willing to be interviewed without a tape recorder running or an Iraqi witness present.

For the third day running an UNMOVIC team supervised the destruction of the Al Samoud missiles, which the UN says can exceed the 150-kilometre-range limit mandated by Security Council resolutions. Two warheads were also destroyed. Another team supervised the start of the destruction of a second casting chamber as well as the remaining work on the first casting chamber. The first chamber is now considered completely destroyed. The second is to be completely destroyed by tomorrow.

Chemical and biological teams supervised the destruction of 14 empty 155milimetre artillery shells, 10 of which had contained mustard, at Al Muthanna, inspected a plant at the National Chemical Plastic Industries in Baghdad, and took more samples at Al Aziziyah from previously recovered R-400 bombs, which Iraq said had been filled with biological agents.

Other sites inspected included the headquarters of the Mesopotamia State Company for Seeds in Baghdad, the Department of Biology of the College of Science at Mosul University, the Al Furat State Company chemical factory, a storage facility for anti-aircraft missile parts in the Baghdad region and a construction area in the Mosul region related to spray irrigation systems.

International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) teams inspected a State-owned trading company in the Sadoon district of Baghdad and a private trading company in the Mansoor district, and performed a car-borne radiation survey north of Baghdad, near the town of Tarmya.

New York, Mar 2 2003 7:00PM

The destruction of prohibited Iraqi missiles continued today under United Nations supervision, a spokesman for the world body reported in Baghdad.

"An UNMOVIC [UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission] missile team supervised the destruction of six Al Samoud 2 missiles at Al Taji," said Hiro Ueki. "Another missile team supervised the destruction process of a second casting chamber at Al Mutasim" -- a process which is slated for completion tomorrow.

In other developments, an UNMOVIC biological team at the Al Aziziyah Airfield and Firing Range today successfully took samples from three intact bombs from among the R-400 bombs that Baghdad claims were filled with biological agents. Additional fragments of those weapons were also recovered and identified.

Chemical experts from UNMOVIC conducted a routine monitoring inspection of Falluja II, located approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Baghdad. Other officials from the Commission inspected an SA-2 missile support facility engaged in the final assembly of those arms.

A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected a private trading company in central Baghdad, while a second IAEA team performed a car-borne radiation survey north of the Iraqi capital.

Meanwhile, Mr. Ueki reported that "UNMOVIC requested a private interview with an Iraqi engineer today, but the engineer was not available for the interview."

The spokesman also said that in addition to interviewing two Iraqi scientists on Friday, UNMOVIC had requested two more interviews that day. "The third interviewee, an Iraqi biological scientist, insisted that his interview be tape-recorded," Mr. Ueki said, adding that as a result, the meeting did not take place. "UNMOVIC was informed by the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate that the fourth interviewee was no longer in the country."

New York, Feb 25 2003 2:00PM

United Nations disarmament official Hans Blix said today he has received new letters from Iraq containing some "positive elements" for his search for evidence of banned weapons of mass destruction, but cautioned that the correspondence needs to be explored further.

Answering reporters' questions as he went into a second day of discussions with his top advisers, Mr. Blix, Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), said Iraq told him it had found a bomb containing liquid at a biological weapons disposal site.

"There are some elements which are positive and which need to be explored further," Mr. Blix said. "There is one letter in which they tell us they have found an R-400 bomb containing liquid in a site which is known to us at which they did dispose of biological weapons before."

Mr. Blix is meeting with the UNMOVIC College of Commissioners to discuss his upcoming quarterly report on Iraqi disarmament, which he is set to hand in to the Security Council on 1 March. The oral presentation to the Council will take place early next week, although no date has yet been formally set.

Mr. Blix is also discussing with the Commissioners, whose task it is to give him guidance, a list of 30 specific unresolved disarmament issues.

Asked if there have been any discussions with Baghdad on his demand that it start destroying its Al Samoud 2 missiles because they could exceed the 150 kilometre-range limit mandated by Security Council resolutions, Mr. Blix said, "Not between us and Iraq."

New York, Feb 24 2003 7:00PM

The Security Council today was presented with two plans on how to proceed with the disarmament of Iraq, with one calling for bulked up and continued inspections by the United Nations while the other would find that Iraq has failed to take the "final opportunity" afforded to it in resolution 1441.

The President of the 15-nation body, Ambassador Gunter Pleuger of Germany, told reporters that during its closed-door consultations, the Council received a "memorandum" from France, Germany and the Russian Federation calling for continued UN inspections, as well as a draft resolution co-sponsored by Spain, the United Kingdom and United States that referred to "serious consequences" mentioned in resolution 1441 if Baghdad did not comply.

He said the Council will hold further consultations Thursday on the two documents after delegations have had a chance to consult with their capitals.

The text introduced by the UK would decide that Iraq "has failed to take the final opportunity afforded to it in resolution 1441," which was adopted unanimously last November acknowledging that Iraq "has been and remains in material breach" of its disarmament obligations and gave the country a last chance to comply.

"There needs to be United Nations action if there is serious doubt about Iraq's cooperation," Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock of the United Kingdom told reporters.

US Ambassador John D. Negroponte said it was now apparent that instead of seizing this opportunity, Iraq has tried to continue business as usual. "We have not seen what this Council has insisted on seeing, a strategic decision by Iraq to disarm," he said. "That is the bar set by resolution 1441, and Iraq is immensely far from reaching that bar, and we all know it."

The document circulated by France notes that the conditions for using force against Iraq have not been fulfilled since, while suspicions remain, no evidence has been given that Iraq still possesses weapons of mass destruction. The text also stresses that the Council must step up its efforts to give a "real chance to the peaceful settlement of the crisis."

Ambassador Jean-Marc de La Sablière of France told reporters there is no reason for the time being to discuss or to adopt a new resolution. "Our common goal, which is a goal very clearly identified in resolution 1441, is that Iraq should be disarmed," he said. "And it is very clear that the priority is that Iraq should be disarmed peacefully. Now, the time has not come to discuss if all of these options have been exhausted. The time has not come to discuss a military option."

For his part, Ambassador Sergey Lavrov of the Russian Federation said he did not think that the chance for the peaceful disarmament of Iraq has been lost or missed. "We are convinced, on the contrary, that the inspections are proceeding effectively and that Iraq is responding to the demands of the international community and to the pressure exerted on it," he said. "We think that this should continue on the basis of the unity of the Council, which we very strongly support."

New York, Feb 23 2003 3:00PM

United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq today maintained their focus on probing the country's missile systems while continuing scrutiny of suspected biological, chemical and nuclear warfare sites.

Experts from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspections Commission (UNMOVIC) observed a static test of the Al Samoud 2 missile conducted at Al Rafah, according to a UN spokesman in Baghdad.

The UN also inspected Al Quadissiya, which spokesman Hiro Ueki said "produces heat-resistant components for several missile systems."

In addition, an UNMOVIC team inspected Al Melad, a facility involved in the guidance and control system for the Al Fatah missile.

UN chemical experts inspected the Al Murage Company for Perfume Production in Baghdad, while a joint UNMOVIC multidisciplinary/biological team examined the former Karbala Ammunition Filling Plant. "This large facility, presently known as the Tabook State Company, is dedicated to filling various types of conventional ammunitions for the Ministry of Defense," Mr. Ueki explained.

Another joint UNMOVIC multidisciplinary/biological team inspected the Veterinary College at Mosul University, he reported, adding that germ warfare experts also inspected the Ninevah Food Industrial Company in Mosul.

Meanwhile, a team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted a "car-borne radiation survey" in the area of the Al Mutanna site, Mr. Ueki said.

New York, Feb 22 2003 8:00PM

As the United Nations continued its arms inspections in Iraq today, experts from the world body probed further into the country's missile development capacity.

Teams from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) inspected the Ibn Al facility, where they inventoried components and sub-assemblies of the Al Samoud 2 missile, which is produced at the site.

A second team inspected the remains of a liquid engine propellant test stand and placed tags on two pieces of manufacturing equipment, while a third team inspected Al Nasser -- a large facility involved in the production of components for the Al Samoud 2 missile, according to a UN spokesman in Baghdad.

An UNMOVIC multidisciplinary team inspected the Iraqi Army's Liquid Propellant Analytical Laboratory, which spokesman Hiro Ueki said "performs validation and control analyses of rocket and missile fuel used in air defense."

Biological warfare experts visited two sites in the Baghdad area, a research centre and a testing laboratory, "to observe the destruction of a relatively small amount of out-of-date bacterial growth media previously monitored by the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM)," Mr. Ueki said. He added that this action was taken following a formal request from the sites transmitted through the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate.

Meanwhile, experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted a car-borne radiation survey in the area of the Yarmouk GE Site. They also inspected the Al Kadessiya General Establishment and the Al Nahrawan munitions factory.

New York, Feb 21 2003 2:00PM

The chief United Nations weapons inspector, Hans Blix, is expected to order Iraq, possibly as early as today, to destroy its Al Samoud 2 missiles because they could exceed the 150 kilometre-range limit mandated by Security Council resolutions.

Ewen Buchanan, a spokesman for Mr. Blix, said he hoped a letter would be sent to the Iraqi authorities on Friday saying that the UN has "found this missile to be banned and therefore it must now be destroyed."

"We would have to oversee the destruction of these missiles," he told UN Radio.

Mr. Blix, Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (<"http://www.unmovic.org">UNMOVIC), reported to the Security Council on 14 February that a group of missile experts he had convened concluded unanimously that, based on the data provided by Iraq, the two declared variants of the Al Samoud 2 missile could exceed the proscribed range.

Mr. Blix also plans to deliver a list of 30 unresolved disarmament issues to UNMOVIC's' College of Commissioners on Monday, including the question of how much banned anthrax and VX nerve gas Iraq made and what happened to it, Mr. Buchanan said.

Meanwhile in Iraq, UN inspectors continued their search for evidence of banned weapons of mass destruction. An UNMOVIC missile team visited the Musaayib Power Station to check for possible storage of missile-related items, and a biological team carried out an aerial inspection of two sites to the west and northwest of Baghdad.

A team from the International Atomic Energy Agency (<"http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/">IAEA) interviewed two members of Iraq's former gas centrifuge programme. One was an engineer, the other a magnet specialist.

New York, Feb 20 2003 5:00PM

Continuing the search for evidence of banned weapons in Iraq, teams from the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) today performed inspections at five separate sites, all related to the country's Al Samoud 2 missile programme.

A spokesman for UNMOVIC said one team placed additional tags onto Al-Samoud 2 missiles and warheads in the Baghdad area, while a second team returned to the Al Samoud Factory, where significant equipment involved in manufacturing was tagged.

A third team went to Ibn Al Haytham, where the status of missiles being assembled was determined, while a fourth team inspected the Al Qudis factory, where research and development, assembly and testing of guidance and control systems are carried out. A fifth team inspected Al Wazariya, another site involved in the manufacturing of the Al Samoud 2 missile and significant equipment involved in the manufacturing was tagged.

In addition, an UNMOVIC chemical team conducted a rebaseline inspection of the Al Aaela Factory for Sulfochemicals, a privately owned company west of Baghdad.

Two UNMOVIC biological teams performed aerial inspections. The first team inspected a site 25 kilometres west of Baghdad and another 70 kilometres southwest. The second team flew by helicopter and inspected an alcohol-producing factory in the southeastern part of the country.

An UNMOVIC multidisciplinary team conducted an air reconnaissance of several sites northwest of Baghdad, along the Tigris River, up to the city of Tikrit. After about two hours, the team returned to the Rasheed Air Base in Baghdad due to bad weather.

Meanwhile, one International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team inspected flow-forming equipment at several facilities around Baghdad. These facilities were: Al Karama, the Samood Company, Ghraib and Ibn Al Haytham. The team also visited the Shakyli Stores at Tuwaitha to inspect materials from Iraq's past centrifuge programme.

A second IAEA team had to break off a helicopter mission and return to the Rasheed Air Base airport due to bad weather, while a third team inspected the Al Eyz Company, northwest of Baghdad, which produces printed circuit boards and telecommunications equipment.

A fourth IAEA team performed a car-borne radiation survey of the ElBasel Company- ElNahrawan, the Sabaa (Seven) Nisan General Company, a residential complex for workers in the oil industry, the Department of Oil Truck Maintenance, and an air defence unit in an area east of Baghdad.

New York, Feb 19 2003 3:00PM

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) today interviewed an engineer previously associated with Iraq's former gas centrifuge enrichment programme, according to a UN spokesman in Baghdad.

As the IAEA conducted its interview, missile teams from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) carried out inspections at five separate sites: Al Fida Company, which is involved in the maintenance of the Al Samoud 2 missile launcher; Ibn Al Haythm, which is involved in the manufacture and assembly of the Al Samoud 2 missile; Al Samoud Factory, which fabricates Al Samoud 2 missile components; Al Mamoun, which manufactures solid propellant rocket motors and a location of field deployment of Al Samoud 2 missiles.

"The teams continued to verify the number and location of Al Samoud 2-related items and to tag relevant items," spokesman Hiro Ueki said.

Meanwhile, an UNMOVIC chemical team returned to Al Mutanna and continued the process of destroying the artillery shells filled with mustard gas. A second chemical team inspected two sites - Al Rasheed and Al Mamoun, both located in Baghdad - belonging to the State Establishment for Vegetable Oils.

An UNMOVIC biological team inspected the College of Agriculture, the College of Sciences, and the College of Engineering, all located on the campus of Tikrit University in Tikrit, 160 kilometres northwest of Baghdad. Subsequently, the team inspected the College of Women Education at Tikrit University and a dairy factory, both located in south Tikrit, Mr. Ueki reported.

In the capital, an UNMOVIC multidisciplinary team inspected the Ibn Al Waleed State Company, a factory specialized in the repair and maintenance of military vehicles.

As for the IAEA, one team inspected the Al-Feda'a hydraulics factory and the manufacturing, storage and repair facility for the State Company of Mechanical and Electrical Contracts, located south of Baghdad. A second IAEA team inspected Al Zawraa, an electronics company, while a third performed a car-borne radiation survey in an area 25 to 60 kilometres east of Baghdad.

In other news, the UN Office of the Iraq Programme, which oversees the humanitarian oil-for-food operation, reported that Iraqi oil exports for the week ending 14 February totalled 11.4 million barrels for an estimated value of $315 million.

New York, Feb 18 2003 2:00PM

United Nations inspectors have carried out their first U-2 surveillance flights over Iraq, adding aerial inspections to their land searches for evidence of banned weapons of mass destruction.

The flights, which took place yesterday, could have begun earlier in the present inspection cycle "but we're off to a good start with the U-2s," Ewen Buchanan, spokesman for the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), said in an interview with UN Radio today.

The planes belong to and are operated by the United States but they bear UN insignia and operate at the direction of the UN inspectors, Mr. Buchanan noted.

"Clearly this obviously increases our abilities we have in terms of reconnaissance and we hope in the not too distant future to add extra assets to our reconnaissance, including Mirage-4 aircraft provided by France, Antonov-30 aircraft provided by the Russian Federation and also drones provided to us by the German Government," Mr. Buchanan said.

Meanwhile UN teams on the ground continued their search for evidence of banned missiles, chemical and biological agents and nuclear weapons development.

UNMOVIC teams inspected five separate missiles sites: Al Khadima, responsible for the final assembly of the Al Samoud 2 missiles; Al Harith, involved in research and development and engine and gyroscope maintenance; Al Qaid, responsible for filling Al Samoud warheads; the location of deployed Al Samoud 2 missiles; and Al Radwan factory where missile parts and containers are manufactured. The teams continued to verify Iraq's declarations and to tag missile components.

Chemical teams went to Al Mutanna to continue destroying artillery shells filled with mustard gas but had to postpone their work because of the weather. They also inspected the Dar Al Salam Factory for Chemical Industries, the Mansour Electronic Company, and the Sa'ad State Company in Baghdad, a mechanical engineering and design centre.

A biological team, meanwhile, inspected the Qadasiyah Dairy Factory, 180 kilometres south of Baghdad.

Teams from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspected the Al Tahidi Company, an electronics facility east of Baghdad, and the Al Naser Al Adheem General Company in the Daura district of Baghdad, and performed a car-borne radiation survey in the Al Mansoor and Rashdiya districts of the capital.

New York, Feb 18 2003 4:00PM

United Nations inspectors will carry on with their work until the Security Council decides otherwise, Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today in Rome, stressing that there is no time limit in the Council's resolutions and that a debate is going on in the 15-nation body about how much more time is needed.

"If the Council were to decide that there had been a material breach and that serious consequences were to follow and to determine that, the inspectors may have to suspend or stop their work," the Secretary-General said to reporters following his meeting with Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi of Italy. "Until that judgment is made, they will have to go on."

During his working lunch with Mr. Berlusconi, the two held discussions focusing on Iraq, and also touched on Afghanistan, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and Côte d'Ivoire, according to a UN spokesperson in New York.

While in Rome, the Secretary-General also met with President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi shortly before a having scheduled audience this evening with Pope John Paul II, during which he is expected to talk about Iraq once more, spokesperson Hua Jiang said. Mr. Annan is also to meet with Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Secretary of State for the Holy See.

Yesterday, kicking off his two-week European trip in Brussels, the Secretary-General urged the continent's leaders to stay focused on Iraq and its obligations to disarm, and to "avoid the tendency of turning on each other."

Speaking to journalists after he addressed the closed summit meeting, Mr. Annan said, "We should approach this issue positively. What is required at this stage is cooperation, persistence and constant pressure."

He added that it was imperative for Iraq's Government to understand the gravity and urgency of the situation, and to "choose compliance over conflict."

The Secretary-General also discussed the impact of the Iraq crisis on the United Nations, saying that if the Security Council can resolve it successfully and effectively, "its credibility and influence will he considerably enhanced." But if action is taken without the Council's authority, he warned, then "the legitimacy and support for that action will be seriously impaired."

Mr. Annan also held several meetings in Brussels after his arrival yesterday afternoon, including one with Turkish Prime Minister Abdullah Gul, with whom he discussed Iraq and efforts to conclude an agreement on Cyprus by the end of this month, and another one-on-one encounter with Belgium's King Albert II.

The Secretary-General also met with Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, and eight leaders of European political groups, who emphasized their strong commitment to the multilateral process and the UN's central role on Iraq, Ms. Jiang said.

In the evening, before he flew to Rome, the Secretary-General discussed Iraq further with Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel. He also met with Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis to discuss Iraq and Cyprus, including the impact on the peace process in that country of the recent Greek Cypriot elections.

New York, Feb 19 2003 4:00PM

Concluding its latest debate on the next steps in the disarmament of Iraq, the United Nations Security Council today heard the views of some 30 more countries.

The Council had suspended its discussion Tuesday evening after hearing from representatives of 26 countries and one observer. The open meeting had been requested by the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in order to give the wider UN membership an opportunity to express their views on the inspection process in Iraq to the 15-nation body.

Echoing the sentiments of several delegations yesterday, many of the 36 speakers today supported bolstering the ongoing inspections by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and opposed the use of military force. They noted Iraq's cooperation with the UN inspectors thus far and urged that the inspectors should be given more time. Only as a last resort should armed action be considered, they stressed.

Several speakers also voiced concern about the unknown consequences for the region caused by the current Iraq crisis, particularly the humanitarian aspect of a military conflict. War would create a new catastrophe for the Iraqi people and their immediate neighbours. Under any scenario, innocent people of Iraq would be among the first to suffer following an outbreak of armed conflict. It was incumbent upon Iraq, therefore, to be completely forthcoming with the UN inspectors, in order to avoid the even greater suffering of its people.

Many countries called on Iraq to comply immediately and unconditionally with Security Council resolutions, and to cooperate more proactively with the inspection process. Barring that, the Council must not wait forever to confront the issue but move quickly to consider a new resolution that dealt decisively with Iraq's failure or risk losing credibility. The threat of force must be maintained in order to keep the pressure on Baghdad to bring about its disarmament.

New York, Feb 18 2003 7:00PM

The ongoing debate over how to proceed with the disarmament of Iraq continued today as the Security Council convened an open meeting to hear the views of some 60 non-Council members on the matter.

Speaking at the outset of the debate on behalf of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM), the Permanent Representative of South Africa, Dumisani Kumalo, said the 115 Member States and 15 Observer States of the United Nations who belonged to NAM had requested the meeting because the Council was engaged in a crucial debate that had important repercussions for the entire international community.

"To us, [Security Council] resolution 1441 was - and still is - about ensuring that Iraq is peacefully disarmed," Ambassador Kumalo said.

Recalling the update last Friday by the UN's lead inspectors, Ambassador Kumalo stressed that inspections were continuing apace and the inspectors themselves were receiving renewed cooperation from the Iraqi Government. None of the information presented during last week's or previous reports would justify the Council's abandoning of the inspections process and resort to war, he added.

"Resorting to war without fully exhausting all other options represents an admission of failure by the Security Council in carrying out its mandate of maintaining international peace and security," Ambassador Kumalo said, urging the 15-nation body to redouble its efforts to bring about a peaceful resolution to the situation.

Continuing the discussion, Ambassador Mohammed A. Aldouri of Iraq said his country's record of compliance with Security Council resolutions is "unprecedented in this international organization or in the history of international relations." Iraq's active cooperation since agreeing last October to the return of UN inspectors had resulted in the refutation of all allegations from the United States and Britain, he added.

"Reason and wisdom make it incumbent upon us to ask if there is any justification for the United States and Britain to launch war against Iraq under the pretext of their concern about Iraq's possession of weapons of mass destruction, even at a time when Iraq is under an ongoing monitoring and verification system," Ambassador Aldouri said.

He called on all Member States to shoulder their responsibilities under the UN Charter to put an end to the unjust embargo, eliminate the unilaterally imposed no-flight zones and heed the call for peace of the millions of people around the world expressed over the weekend.

For his part, Yahya Mahmassani, the Permanent Observer of the League of Arab States, said the reports of the chief UN weapons inspectors last week confirmed some positive achievements in the inspections process. The reports also confirmed cooperation by Iraq, which reinforced the notion that such operations should continue until "such a day when the Iraqi file could be closed and the sanction lifted."

In light of those conclusions by the inspectors - who are the only legitimate authorities entrusted with the verification or submission of evidence of proscribed weapons to the Security Council - there is no justification to wage a against Iraq, Mr. Mahmassani said. "Where is the immediate danger that Iraq poses to the world to warrant a war?" he asked.

The Permanent Observer recalled that the League of Arab States met in Cairo last week and confirmed Arab countries' rejection of threats to any Arab States or its security. He said the League hoped that the end of the last century's Cold War would not be the beginning of "hot wars" in the new century - beginning with a war in Iraq. Any such war would amount to a failure of the Security Council and the international system, as well as a challenge to the Charter of the United Nations, the main safeguard that protects the world's weakest countries and ensured international peace and security, he stressed.

After hearing from representatives of more than 20 countries, the Council was expected to suspend its meeting and reconvene tomorrow to accommodate the remaining speakers.

New York, Feb 16 2003 5:00PM

United Nations germ warfare experts in Iraq today probed two food-processing facilities in a bid to uncover information about Baghdad's clandestine weapons programme.

A biological team of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) inspected the food processing facility at Baquba, approximately 50 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, according to UN spokesman Hiro Ueki. "Subsequently, the team inspected the Biology Department of the College of Sciences at Baquba University," he said.

A second biological team inspected another food processing company in the Diyala area, and then visited the Diyala Tuberculosis and respiratory disease centre, Mr. Ueki added.

UNMOVIC missile experts today were at Al Kindi, a site involved in researching, developing and testing of missile systems. They also tagged imported SA-2 engines at the Ibn Al Haytham and newly produced Al Samoud II missiles in the Taji area. In addition, a missile team went to Al Mamoun in connection with casting chambers that were destroyed by the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) but reconstituted by Iraq.

Meanwhile, an UNMOVIC chemical team visited Falluja III, located about 100 kilometres northwest of Baghdad. "This inspection involved the verification of declared items," Mr. Ueki said.

The spokesman also reported that on Saturday, UNMOVIC multidisciplinary teams inspected the Hadr Ammunition Storage Facility outside Mosul. "The teams covered a vast amount of ground, which included roughly 300 storage warehouses, bunkers, brick stores, metal containers and external munitions dumps," he said, adding that the inspection lasted the entire day.

New York, Feb 14 2003 5:00PM

After being updated by the chief United Nations monitors on the weapons inspection process in Iraq, the Security Council held an open meeting today to debate the next steps for dealing with the disarmament of that country.

Opening the ministerial-level debate, Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara of Syria said that in their briefing today, the inspectors had noted the progress achieved since their last briefing. That meant that in just two weeks significant progress had been achieved. It was also significant that today Iraq had issued a decree prohibiting weapons of mass destruction in the country. That testified to the fact that inspections were accomplishing their goals, and the Council must continue to support the inspectors, allowing them sufficient time to carry out their task as prescribed in resolution 1441.

In continuing the discussion, Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin said France was convinced that the option of inspections had not been taken to the end and that it could provide an effective response to the imperative of disarming Iraq. The use of force would be so fraught with risks for people, for the region and for international stability that it should only be envisioned as a last resort. "War is always the sanction of failure," he said, calling for another meeting on 14 March at the Ministerial level to judge progress made.

Foreign Minister Soledad Alvear Valenzuela of Chile said that although the report from the chief inspectors pointed to some progress, it has also shown that the regime that governs Iraq has an ambivalent attitude to the inspections process. While there was hope that attitude might change, the failure to cooperate in some cases was evident. Maintaining pressure on Saddam Hussein's regime has proven to be the only mechanism capable of bringing about a certain openness and respect for the decisions of the Council.

As for Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan, he said China believed that the inspection process was working and that the inspectors should continue to be given the time they needed to carry out resolution 1441. The Council should also step up its support for the inspections. The Iraqi issue bore on the peace and stability in the Gulf region and bore also on the Council's credibility and authority. The first priority now was to strengthen its guidance and support for the inspection work and to facilitate a productive political settlement.

Spain's Foreign Minister, Ana Palacio, said that as much as she had been eager to hear "just one word" that the Iraqi regime was complying without reservation or delay to the Council's demands, she had been unable to find it in the inspector's reports. Spain was resolutely in favour of the view that a solution to the crisis is found within and through the Council. Still, if a change of attitude on the part of Iraq did not come, the Council should be able to live up to its responsibility and ensure the peace and security of the world.

For his part, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of the United Kingdom said that the issue was about the authority of the Council and the responsibility of the United Nations for the maintenance of international peace and security. He hoped and believed that a peaceful solution was still possible but would require Iraq to meet the obligations imposed on it. A peaceful solution could only be achieved if the Council held its nerve, gave meaning to its word and ensured that Iraq would face the consequences of its actions.

United States Secretary of State Colin Powell said the pressure must continue on Iraq and the threat of force should not be removed. Resolution 1441 was all about compliance and not about inspections, which were to assist Iraq in coming forward. He had not seen responsible actions on the part of Iraq, but rather "continued efforts to deceive, deny, divert, and throw us off the path." The Security Council was now in a situation where Iraq's continued non-compliance and failure to cooperate required it to begin to think through the consequences of walking away from that problem or from the reality that it had to be faced.

Igor S. Ivanov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation, told the Council the inspectors must be provided with all possible assistance, as it was on the basis of their work that the 15-national body could make an enlightened conclusion. There is movement in the right direction, he said, urging Baghdad to continue its cooperation with international inspections. The Council had a unique opportunity to solve the problems by peaceful means. Force could be resorted to only when all other means had been exhausted.

Foreign Minister Luis Ernesto Derbez of Mexico said hearing today's reports reconfirmed his confidence in the inspections. If the inspections had not yielded the expected results thus far, it was the obligation of the Council to ensure that the inspections fulfilled their intended mission. Iraq must make full use of the final opportunity presented to it. The damage the conflict was having could be seen in increased political polarization, and a global economy that was suffering from uncertainty. Iraq's disarmament and an end to its non-compliance would help bring about an end to that situation.

Ambassador Mamady Traoré of Guinea said he advocated continued inspections, although not indefinitely. A reasonable additional time period would help yield consensus and bring together the different views around the Council table. He was concerned about the tension in the international community around the crisis and urged a direct and constructive dialogue among those with differing views in order to move beyond that tension, which could deal a harsh blow to the United Nations system. The Council must continue working together as one to attain its goal.

Pakistan's Ambassador, Munir Akram, said it was understandable that the patience of some important members of the Council was running out. The intention of resolution 1441 was that the process of discovery and destruction of weapons of mass destruction would be accelerated. At the same time, he noted the call for caution by several Member States. The Council could still unite around the need to secure the elimination of weapons of mass destruction through peaceful means. All people of good will desired that all peaceful means be exhausted before the Council decided to bring force into play.

For his part, Ambassador Martin Belinga-Eboutou of Cameroon emphasized the need for the Council to continue to safeguard its unity and cohesion. The progress made by the UN inspectors' recent mission to Baghdad reflected a noticeable change in Iraqi attitude. Further non-compliance with the demands of the Council would be one violation too many, and Iraqi authorities would leave the Council no other choice but to adopt, in unity, appropriate measures to have its decisions respected.

Angola's Ambassador, Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins, said today's report provided a beacon of hope that it might be possible to save the world from an imminent conflict. The collective efforts of the Council, combined with military pressure, increased Iraq's level of cooperation with the inspectors. Simultaneously, that had advanced the cause of multilateralism by translating the consensual will of the international community to disarm Iraq, peacefully and with determination.

Ambassador Stefan Tafrov of Bulgaria said unfortunately, the Iraqi authorities were still in material breach of resolution 1441

New York, Feb 14 2003 3:00PM

After 11 weeks of inspections, United Nations monitors have not found any weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but Baghdad still needs to show "credible" evidence that such arms do not exist, a top UN disarmament official told the Security Council today.

In progress report to a ministerial-level meeting of the Council, Hans Blix, who is in charge of the biological, chemical and ballistic profile, said that after more than 400 inspections at over 300 sites around the country, the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) has so far found only a small number of empty chemical munitions that should have been declared and destroyed.

"Another matter, and one of great significance, is that many proscribed weapons and items are not accounted for," Mr. Blix, Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC, said at the outset of the Council meeting chaired by Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer of Germany, which holds the rotating Presidency of the 15-nation body for the month of February. "One must not jump to the conclusion that they exist; however, that possibility is not excluded. If they exist they should be presented for destruction. If they do not exist, credible evidence to that effect should be presented."

Mr. Blix noted again that cooperation by the Iraqi authorities on procedure has been good, but stressed that cooperation on substance was indispensable and required more than the just open doors. "In the current situation, one would expect Iraq to be eager to comply," he added.

While his team has obtained a good knowledge of the industrial and scientific landscape of Iraq, as well as of its missile capability, through the inspections conducted so far, Mr. Blix said, "As before, we do not know every cave and corner." In addition to visits, some 300 chemical and biological samples have been collected and the destruction of approximately 50 litres of mustard gas has begun.

Mr. Blix reported that a group of missile experts he had convened has concluded unanimously that, based on the data provided by Iraq, the two declared variants of the Al Samoud 2 missile were capable of exceeding 150 kilometres in range, which is proscribed by Security Council resolutions.

The UNMOVIC chief also noted that the Commission will start using U2 surveillance planes next week and that arrangements are being made to also use Mirage aircraft for surveillance flights. "It is our intention to examine the possibilities for surveying ground movements, notably by trucks," Mr. Blix said. "In the face of persistent intelligence reports, for instance, about mobile biological weapons production units, such measures could well increase the effectiveness of inspections."

Mr. Blix said that if Iraq had provided the necessary cooperation in 1991, the phase of disarmament could have been short and a decade of sanctions could have been avoided. "Today, three months after the adoption of resolution 1441, the period of disarmament through inspection could still be short, if 'immediate, active and unconditional cooperation' with UNMOVIC and the IAEA were to be forthcoming," he said.

New York, Feb 13 2003 5:00PM

Underscoring the belief of Secretary-General Kofi Annan that war in Iraq is not inevitable, a senior United Nations relief official today outlined the world body's plans for humanitarian assistance to that country in the event of armed conflict.

Speaking at a press briefing at UN Headquarters in New York, Kenzo Oshima, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, stressed that contingency planning by the UN should not be misconstrued as indication to the contrary.

"The Secretary-General continues to believe that inspections can work and that all avenues should be explored to find a peaceful solution," he said. "But it is also important to underline that it is the responsibility of the United Nations to be ready for any contingency in Iraq, as indeed, anywhere else."

Mr. Oshima's briefing came after the Secretary-General gave an informal presentation earlier Thursday to Security Council members on the status of humanitarian contingency planning for Iraq by the UN Secretariat.

Under a "medium-case scenario" used in its planning assumptions, Mr. Oshima said that up to 10 million people - which would include internally displaced persons, refugees and the general public - may require food assistance during and immediately after the start of the conflict, while up to half of the population may be without access to potable water. He added that 2 million people could become internally displaced, and that there was the potential for between 600,000 to 1.45 million refugees and asylum seekers.

The Under-Secretary-General said the UN's role will be to make sure that enough measures are in place that will allow the UN and the international humanitarian community to alleviate suffering and provide life-saving assistance. "Of course parties to the conflict will be expected to meet their obligations to protect and assist civilian populations under international humanitarian law," he added.

New York, Feb 13 2003 4:00PM

As United Nations officials conducted another interview with an Iraqi citizen today, UN weapons monitors carried out inspections at several facilities throughout the country.

According to a UN spokesman in Baghdad, the International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA conducted a private interview with a senior engineer connected to Iraq's utilization of aluminium tubes.

Meanwhile, an IAEA team conducted a car-borne radiation survey at the Saddam facility and in the Falluja area, 50 kilometres west of Baghdad. A second IAEA team performed an inspection at the Ibn Al-Haytham north of Baghdad.

In other inspection activities, a chemical team from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission continued the destruction of chemical ammunitions filled with mustard gas at Al Mutanna. "The team started to detoxify mustard from some of the shells by chemical means," said spokesman Hiro Ueki.

One UNMOVIC missile team visited the Al Feda Factory, which is involved in the production of missiles launchers, while another inspected the Bader State establishment, which manufactures dies and moulds for missile components.

About 45 kilometres north of Baghdad, an UNMOVIC biological team inspected an airfield as another team held discussions at the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate (NMD) relating to documents supplied by Iraq to UNMOVIC Executive Chairman Hans Blix during his latest visit last weekend.

An UNMOVIC multidisciplinary team inspected the Ibn-Roshd State Company, a quality control centre, adjacent to the Mechanical Engineering Design Centre. "The team continued to verify Iraq's declarations and to determine any cooperation for the military industry," Mr. Ueki said.

New York, Feb 12 2003 5:00PM

United Nations weapons monitors in Iraq today continued their efforts to hold private interviews with the country's scientists and biological experts.

The International Atomic Energy Agency IAEA was successful in conducting an interview in private with an Iraqi scientist connected to Iraq's former centrifuge programme, a UN spokesman in Baghdad said.

But, according to spokesman Hiro Ueki, a private interview with an Iraqi senior biological scientist sought by the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) did not proceed. "The scientist kept the appointment, but declined to be interviewed under the UNMOVIC format," Mr. Ueki said

Meanwhile, an UNMOVIC chemical team began the process of destroying 10 155mm artillery shells and four plastic containers filled with mustard gas at Al Mutanna, approximately 140 km northwest of Baghdad. The destruction process is expected to take four to five days to complete, according to Mr. Ueki.

Another UNMOVIC chemical team visited the water treatment plants at the Al Qadissya and the Al Mahmoudiyah to conduct baseline inspections.

Mr. Ueki said that an UNMOVIC missile team inspected the Jaber Bin Hyan State Company that produces seals and gaskets of the Al Samoud missile. The team continued to verify Iraq's declarations and establish a comprehensive monitoring mechanism.

As for the IAEA, one team conducted a car-borne radiation survey and deployed an air sampler at a facility about 30 kilometres north of Baghdad. A second IAEA team meanwhile, deployed another air sampler and performed an inspection at a facility about 60 kilometres west of Baghdad.

A third IAEA team held a meeting with a senior Iraqi diplomat at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) offices in Baghdad, Mr. Ueki said.

New York, Feb 10 2003 3:00PM

United Nations officials sought private interviews with two more Iraqi individuals today but were turned down by both after failing to reach agreement on how the questioning would be conducted.

The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) had sought to question a biological scientist and a missile expert, according to a spokesman for the Commission in Baghdad. "Both of them showed up for the appointments," Hiro Ueki said. "However, the biological scientist did not agree to the location and mode of interview, as proposed by UNMOVIC, [and] the missile expert did not agree to the mode of interview, as proposed by UNMOVIC. Therefore, the interviews did not proceed."

Meanwhile, UNMOVIC inspectors continued their work on the ground, as a biological team visited an Agricultural Research Centre, approximately 20 kilometres west of Baghdad, and then moved to one of the Centre's nearby breeding stations, Mr. Ueki said. A second biological team conducted a geo-physical survey of an area of land within the perimeter of a school on the western outskirts of Baghdad, and excavated a small area as part of the survey. A third biological team inspected a dairy products facility in an eastern suburb of Baghdad.

Three UNMOVIC missile teams inspected three separate sites: the Al Battani Centre that is involved in space research and development; the Al Mutasim location that is involved in the practical training of engineers who belong to the Military Industrialization Corporation (MIC); and Al Mamoun, which manufactures solid propellant rocket motors.

North of Baghdad, a multidisciplinary team returned to the Al Taji Ammunition Depot to extract a sample of the liquid contents of a 122-millimetre rocket chemical warhead previously declared by Iraq. "During the course of the inspection, the team discovered an empty 122 mm Al Burak chemical warhead and an empty plastic chemical agent canister," Mr. Ueki said. "Samples were taken from both items for subsequent analysis."

A Mosul-based multidisciplinary team, meanwhile, inspected the Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Unit of the Nineveh Health Authority.

As for the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), one of its teams performed a mobile radiation survey in Baghdad, while a second participated in a technical meeting at the Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Baghdad. The initial field trial of mobile air samplers also continued, Mr. Ueki said.

New York, Feb 9 2003 8:00PM

The top United Nations weapons inspector, Hans Blix, today said he saw signs the Iraqi authorities were taking the disarmament issues "more seriously," reporting that a number of documents concerning biological weapons and missiles have been turned over to UN officials for analysis.

"There are some good developments from these two days," Mr. Blix said at a press conference this evening in Baghdad following the conclusion of talks he and the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, had with their Iraqi counterparts Saturday and Sunday.

Mr. Blix noted that Iraqi authorities turned over a number of papers on anthrax and the country's missile programme in response to a point that was made at the last meeting between the two sides in Baghdad last month. "We've had talks with Iraqi colleagues where I've seen the beginning of taking these remaining disarmament issues more seriously," he said.

He added that papers on VX, a potent chemical nerve agent, were also submitted to UN officials on Saturday, who examined the documents until 2 a.m. before meeting with their Iraqi counterparts this morning for further clarifications.

On the issue of the commission appointed to look into an earlier discovery of 12 empty chemical warheads, Mr. Blix said that panel now has a broader mandate and has been given authority to look for any weapons of mass destruction. "We welcome that," he said, adding that one of the UN teams today found one more empty 122 millimetre chemical warhead at Tajir.

As for interviews of Iraqi personnel, Mr. Blix said the UN's experience so far has been a "mixed bag." He noted that some individuals have insisted on having Iraqi representatives present, while others have insisted on having a tape recorder. There have also been cases of interviewees who have accepted being alone with UN officials without any recorders. "We hope this practice will develop into something more relaxed," he said.

New York, Feb 7 2003 2:00PM

The disarmament of Iraq through the inspection process is an alternative to the avenue of armed conflict, the chief United Nations arms inspector, Hans Blix, said today in Vienna, where he made a brief stopover on his way to Baghdad for further talks with Iraqi officials this weekend.

"I think everybody would like to see effective inspections to be the way to disarmament," Mr. Blix, Executive Chairman of UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), said in an address to a group of inspector trainees. "This is certainly the wish of the Arab world, all Europeans and I'm convinced also of [US] President Bush and [UK Prime Minister Tony] Blair."

The group of 57 men and women from 22 countries, having completed their three-week training course, are going back to their respective countries and are now on a roster from which UNMOVIC can draw personnel for future inspections.

In his statement, Mr. Blix also stressed that the disarmament process requires active cooperation from Iraq, both on process and substance. "We had eight years there when a lot was achieved, but we would like to have a disarmament that is quicker than that," the Executive Chairman said. "The world is not going to wait another eight years."

Mr. Blix and Mohamed ElBaradei, Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), are expected to arrive tomorrow in Baghdad, where they will hold two days of talks with senior Iraqi officials. A press conference is scheduled for the conclusion of the discussions on Sunday evening.

New York, Feb 7 2003 5:00PM

United Nations officials conducted another three private interviews today with Iraqi individuals as inspection activities continued at various facilities.

According to a UN spokesman in Baghdad, the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) conducted two separate private interviews with Iraqi individuals. The questioning of a senior scientist lasted approximately four hours while and another interview with a missile expert lasted approximately two-and-a-half hours. In both cases, no Iraqi witnesses were present during either interview, which addressed a number of relevant issues.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) also conducted a private interview with an Iraqi chemical engineer. No Iraqi witness was present during that interview, which lasted approximately two-and-a-half hours. "A broad range of technical matters was covered during the interview," spokesman Hiro Ueki said.

In today's inspection activities, an UNMOVIC chemical team inspected the Al Wathba Water Project in Baghdad, while multidisciplinary teams inspected two sites, the Suwaira Stores Plant Protection Division, which stores pesticides, and the Technical Institute, which trains skilled workers.

In Al Kut, approximately 150 kilometres southeast of Baghdad, an UNMOVIC biological team inspected a combined agricultural and ammunition storage site. A second biological team performed an aerial inspection on two sites: the Samarra Drug Industry and the Salah Ad Din State Company.

Meanwhile, an UNMOVIC missile team inspected the Al Waziriyah site, which is the headquarters for the development of the Al Samoud Missile.

New York, Feb 6 2003 1:00PM

The chief United Nations weapons inspector, Hans Blix, met today in London with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and other senior government officials as he prepared to travel to Iraq this weekend for further talks with authorities in Baghdad.

Mr. Blix, Executive Chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), held separate discussions with Mr. Blair, Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and officials from the United Kingdom's Foreign and Commonwealth Office on the state of the inspections and his upcoming trip to Baghdad.

Mr. Blix is making his way to Baghdad, where he and Director-General Mohamed ElBaradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are expected to arrive Saturday morning for two days of talks with Iraqi officials. They are scheduled to give a press conference after the talks end on Sunday.

Meanwhile in Iraq, UN monitors continued their inspections around the country. An UNMOVIC biological group inspected two separate sites: the Directorate of Teaching Laboratories, located in Saddam Medical City, which provides diagnostic services to the hospital and does post-graduate teaching for medical students; and the Abraj Alcohol Production Facility in Baghdad that produces ethanol through fermentation.

A missile team inspected the Al Kadhimiya site, which is involved in technical and administrative aspects of ballistic missile programme, and the Military College of Engineering, which is involved in the design and development of supersonic wind tunnels and machines for fibre-reinforced composite materials. "These inspections were conducted to verify Iraq's declarations and to establish a comprehensive monitoring mechanism," said Hiro Ueki, spokesman for UNMOVIC and IAEA in Baghdad.

An UNMOVIC chemical team conducted an inspection of the General Office of the State Establishment for Water and Sewage in Baghdad, a facility responsible for supplying drinking water to the country's 15 Governorates.

Multidisciplinary teams, meanwhile, inspected 23 large ammunition storage bunkers and 81 outdoor storage areas at the Fallujah Ammunition Depot west of Baghdad, and the Arab Company for Detergent Chemicals in Baiji.

One IAEA team continued inspection at the Ashakyli Stores, while a second held meetings at the Iraqi Nuclear Monitoring Directorate (NMD). A third IAEA team monitored the transfer of several radioactive isotope sources from the former site of the Al Salam Company to a secure storage facility at Tuwaitha, and a fourth worked at the UN's Canal Hotel base preparing mobile air sampling equipment for deployment in the field