Weapons of Mass Destruction 
Iraq I:  United States, United Kingdom Preparing Draft ResolutionFull Story
India:  Sanctioned Firm Reportedly Sent Equipment to Iraq, Official SaysFull Story
Iraq II:  Summary of InspectionsFull Story
Iraq I:  U.S.-British Resolution Delayed as Security Council Hears Anti-War MessageFull Story
U.S. Response:  Domestic Needs Draw Staff From East European Border Control TrainingFull Story
India:  United States Imposes Sanctions on Indian CompanyFull Story
Iraq II:  Summary of InspectionsFull Story
Iraq I:  U.S. Continues Push for Force Despite Growing OppositionFull Story
Iraq II:  Summary of InspectionsFull Story
Iraq I:  U.N. Experts Say Progress Made on Inspections, but Questions RemainFull Story
Iraq II:  Summary of InspectionsFull Story


Recent Stories: WMD

From February 20, 2003 issue.

Iraq I:  United States, United Kingdom Preparing Draft Resolution

The United States and the United Kingdom are preparing to submit a draft resolution to the U.N. Security Council “in the next few working days” that would authorize military action against Iraq and set a deadline for the council to vote on it, U.S. and British officials said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 19).

U.S. officials said there would be three key elements of the draft resolution:  that Iraq is in “material breach” of its disarmament obligations, that it failed to comply with new inspections, placing it in further material breach and that U.N. members must move forward with the “serious consequences” noted in U.N. Security Council Resolution 1441, which established the current inspections regime.

The draft resolution would also contain a deadline for Iraq’s compliance with inspections, to force the council into setting a limit to inspections, British U.N. Ambassador Jeremy Greenstock said.

The tone and content of the draft resolution are still not “finally settled” and U.S. President George W. Bush plans to work with U.S. allies to create a resolution that would be acceptable to council members, the White House said yesterday.  The goal is a “straightforward, simple resolution that enforces Resolution 1441,” White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said (Farley/Wright, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 20).

To avoid a possible Security Council veto, the resolution is not expected to contain a specific call for military action against Iraq, sources said.  The United States and the United Kingdom have claimed, however, that a finding that Iraq was in material breach of U.N. resolutions would allow for such an attack, according to the Washington Post.

The two countries will probably not formally introduce the resolution to the Security Council until at least one more briefing by U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix, sources said

Among Security Council members, including three of the permanent veto-wielding members, there still remains opposition to the use of force against Iraq, according to the Post.  “We will do whatever is possible ... to maintain the equilibrium as it is now,” said a French official, whose country has led the resistance to the U.S. calls for military action.  “There is a strong majority that is not yet ready to vote in favor” of a new resolution, the official added (Karen DeYoung, Washington Post, Feb. 20).

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Jiang Zemin agreed via telephone yesterday that the inspections process should be continued indefinitely, adding support to France’s anti-war stance, according to the Los Angeles Times (Farley/Wright, Los Angeles Times). 

Representatives from the 10 nonpermanent council members expressed concerns over an anticipated U.S.-British effort to obtain their support for a new resolution.

“Under such pressure, we might have to bend.  We have a different kind of vulnerability” than the permanent council members, said an ambassador from a nonpermanent member country.  “There is pressure on all of us to deliver a compromise that is not really a compromise,” the ambassador added (DeYoung, Washington Post).

Several of the nonpermanent members have said they would abstain on a vote over a new resolution if the five permanent members could not agree on some sort of compromise.

“We don’t have veto power,” said Angola’s U.N. Ambassador, Ismael Gaspar Martins.  “But we do have a power.  We do have a voice,” he added (Farley/Wright, Los Angeles Times).

Open Security Council Session Ends With Mixed Conclusions

The majority of delegates who spoke over the two-day debate Security Council debate on Iraq that ended yesterday clearly felt the inspection regime was working and that inspectors needed more time.  On the other hand, the argument by the United States and United Kingdom that inspections have run their course is gaining ground, although most countries supporting this view stopped short of calling for the use of force.

German Ambassador Gunter Pleuger, the council’s president for February, closed the debate yesterday, saying the session showed that “an overwhelming majority of delegations has made it clear that we are united in the goal of disarming Iraq in a peaceful way.” 

Celestino Migliore, the observer for the Holy See, told the council, “The vast majority of the international community is calling for a diplomatic resolution. … That call should not be ignored.”

Canada seems to be moving toward the U.S.-British position that Iraq is not cooperating enough with the weapons inspectors and that a second resolution following up on Resolution 1441 is needed that would give Iraq a short time period to comply or face military action.

Canadian Ambassador Paul Heinbecker said yesterday that more time and a strengthened inspection regime “could be useful, but only if Iraq decides to cooperate fully, actively and transparently, beginning now.”  The council should set an “early deadline for Iraqi compliance,” he added.  “Recent cooperation from Baghdad has come only in response to intense international pressure, including the deliberate and useful buildup of U.S. and U.K. military forces in the region.  The job of the inspectors is to verify Iraq’s disarmament, not to search out weapons of mass destruction on their own,” said Heinbecker.

Countries expressing at least some support for this position included Albania, Georgia, Macedonia, and Nicaragua.  South Korean Ambassador Sun Joun-yung said Iraq’s “cooperation on substance has not been enough to resolve existing questions of disarmament.  It is disturbing to note that many proscribed weapons and items still remain unaccounted for.”  He added, “It is clear that Iraq is not yet in full compliance with the relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 1441.”

The majority of countries said the inspection route was producing results, even as they faulted Iraq for not fully cooperating with the inspectors.

Migliore said that while the United Nations still has “a wealth of peaceful tools provided by international law, to resort to force would not be a just one.”  He said the inspections regime “remains an effective path that could lead to a building of a consensus which … would make it almost impossible for any government to act otherwise, without risking international isolation.”  War, he added, “is the very last option and in accordance with very strict conditions.”

Deputy Swiss Ambassador Pierre Helg told the meeting, “The resort to force can only be envisaged after all peaceful means to find a solution to the crisis have been exhausted.”  He said Switzerland supports strengthening the inspection system “and if that option fails, we recall that in any case the use of force must be authorized by a Security Council resolution.”

Liechtenstein’s Ambassador Christian Wenaweser said, “We share the view that the use of force would need to be authorized by the council in a separate resolution and that the reports submitted by UNMOVIC [U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission] and the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] do not lead to the conclusion that such a decision is warranted at this time.”

Speaking for Malaysia, Zainuddin Yahya said, “We would urge Iraq not to lose this window of opportunity and to do what is right,” adding, “Iraq must continue to cooperate with the inspectors and refrain from giving any pretext to warmongers.”  He said, “An attack against Iraq without any credible evidence to the international community of the imminent threat it poses is … illegal and unjustified.”

Nedkhedehe Efiong Nedkhedehe of Nigeria said his government “calls on Iraq to comply with its obligations under the various U.N. resolutions including Resolution 1441 and cooperate with the U.N. inspection team so that the issue can be resolved peacefully. … Nigeria urges all concerned to make sustained efforts to avoid the use of force while ensuring the effective implementation of Resolution 1441.”

At the conclusion of the debate, Iraqi Ambassador Mohammed al-Douri said, “Iraq is determined to cooperate both in substance and in process in order to cut off at the knees any allegations that Iraq has [weapons of mass destruction].  We are confident that no one will find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq because there are none” (Jim Wurst, Global Security Newswire, Feb.20)

Iraq Still Not Fully Cooperating, Inspectors Say

Iraqi officials are not, however, fully cooperating with inspections, according to U.N. weapons inspectors operating within Iraq.

No Iraqi WMD scientists have agreed to take part in a private interview with inspectors since Feb. 7, shortly before Blix and IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei arrived in Baghdad to meet with Iraqi officials, according to the Washington Post.  Since then, UNMOVIC inspectors have sought to interview 28 chemical and biological scientists, but most have refused to do so without an Iraqi official present.  While five agreed to participate in the interviews by themselves, they each insisted that a tape recording of the interview be made.  Inspectors refused to go ahead with these interviews because of concerns that the tape, which would probably have been given to Iraqi officials, would have kept the scientists from being candid, the Post reported.

“The tape recorder has been the stumbling block,” a U.N. official said.

The IAEA has conducted several recorded interviews with Iraqi nuclear scientists.  In some cases, inspectors kept the tapes while in others they were given to the scientists.  These interviews, however, are considered to be less controversial because U.N. experts have already said they do not believe Iraq has relaunched its nuclear program, the Post reported.   

Inspectors also have not received additional documents related to Iraq’s past WMD programs, even though Baghdad had promised to establish a commission to search the country for them, U.N. officials said.

Since last week’s Security Council meeting, “we have not seen any positive moves on the part of Iraq,” a U.N. official said.  “They are not fulfilling their promises,” another official said.

Iraqi officials, however, have said they have complied with inspections and that most of the international community, excluding the United States and the United Kingdom, views Iraq as the victim.

“We have done what was asked of us — and the whole world sees that,” a senior Iraqi official said.  “All these criticisms are just raised by the Americans as a way to justify their aggression,” the official added.

Iraq might be misreading the intentions of Security Council members or could be still attempting to push the situation to the edge by agreeing to concessions at the last minute to block U.S. attempts to build a coalition for military action, U.N. officials and diplomats said.

“They are feeling:  The world opinion is with us.  We can resist further pressure.  We have time.  We can play with the U.S. and U.K.,” a U.N. official said.  “This is very dangerous,” the official added (Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post, Feb. 20).

Inspections

U.N. inspectors visited at least six suspect Iraqi sites today, according to Reuters.  UNMOVIC missile experts visited the Taji, Ibn al-Haytham, al-Quds and Karameh missile sites, Iraqi officials said (Reuters/MSNBC.com, Feb. 20).  Inspectors also visited al-Samoud Factory and al-Basil Company, according to the Associated Press (Bassem Mroue, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, Feb. 20).

Inspectors yesterday visited at least 19 suspect sites, according to an IAEA press release.  UNMOVIC missile inspectors visited al-Samoud Factory.  UNMOVIC biological inspectors visited Tikrit University’s College of Agriculture, College of Sciences, College of Engineering and College of Women Education.  They also inspected a dairy factory located in south Tikrit.

Inspectors visited the Ibn al-Waleed State Company in Baghdad, the IAEA release said.  IAEA inspectors visited al-Feda’a hydraulics factory and the State Company of Mechanical and Electrical Contracts’s manufacturing, storage and repair facility.  IAEA inspectors also conducted a radiation survey in areas east of Baghdad (International Atomic Energy Agency release, Feb. 19).

For further information, see:

UNMOVIC

IAEA Iraq Action Team

U.N. Resolution 1441


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From February 20, 2003 issue.

India:  Sanctioned Firm Reportedly Sent Equipment to Iraq, Official Says

An Indian firm, recently sanctioned by the United States, sent weapons-building equipment to Iraq, a U.S. State Department spokesman said yesterday (see GSN, Feb. 19).

State Department spokesman Richard Boucher yesterday cited Indian media reports that NEC Engineers Private has shipped titanium vessels, filters, titanium centrifugal pumps, atomized and spherical aluminum powder, and titanium anodes to Baghdad.  Indian press reports indicated that NEC sent a total of 10 shipments to Iraq, Boucher said.

The sanctions, which were also leveled against the firm’s president Hans Raj Shiv, do not apply to the Indian government, Boucher added.

India has been helpful with its “efforts to halt Indian entities from engaging in illicit activities with (weapons of mass destruction) and missile programs in the Middle East and elsewhere,” according to Boucher.

Indian officials have been investigating NEC and have tried “to prevent further proliferant exports and have arrested two principals of the company,” he added.

“Unfortunately, NEC and Shiv have shifted operations to other locations,” Boucher said.  “We hope our actions will support the steps India is taking, and will encourage other governments to take similar steps,” Boucher said (Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times, Feb. 20).


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From February 20, 2003 issue.

Iraq II:  Summary of Inspections

Experts from the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency have conducted hundreds of inspections in Iraq since resuming the post-Gulf War inspection regime Nov. 27.  More than 200 U.N. personnel, including about 150 inspectors, are now based in the country at two facilities in Baghdad and Mosul.  The following chart summarizes some of the inspectors’ recently reported activities.

Date Site Activity
Feb. 20 Taji missile site See GSN, Feb. 20.
Ibn al-Haitham missile site
Al-Quds missile site
Karameh missile site
Al-Samoud Factory
Al-Basil Company
Feb. 19   Al-Samoud Factory See GSN, Feb. 20.
Tikrit University’s College of Agriculture
Tikrit University’s College of Sciences
Tikrit University’s College of Engineering
Tikrit University’s College of Women Education
Dairy factory in south Tikrit
Ibn al-Waleed State Company in Baghdad
Al-Feda’a hydraulics factory
State Company of Mechanical and Electrical Contracts’s manufacturing, storage and repair facility
Areas east of Baghdad IAEA inspectors conducted a radiation survey (see GSN, Feb. 20).
Abu Ghraib An al-Samoud missile site, northwest of Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Mamoun UNMOVIC team inspected this military compound near Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Ibn al-Haithem UNMOVIC team inspected this military compound near Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Fidaa UNMOVIC team inspected this military compound near Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Muthanna UNMOVIC chemical team visited site near Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Vegetable oil factory Inspectors visited factory in Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Nidaa IAEA inspectors visited military compound (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Zawra IAEA inspectors visited military compound (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Nahrawan IAEA inspectors visited military compound south of Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Feb. 18 Al-Khadima Facility responsible for final assembly of al-Samoud missiles (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Harith Missile engine and gyroscope research and development facility (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Qaid Site where al-Samoud missile warheads are filled (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Radwan Facility manufactures missile parts and containers (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Deployed al-Samoud missiles UNMOVIC missile team visited deployed missiles (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Mutanna Team visited facility to continue destroying artillery shells filled with mustard agent but were delayed by weather (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Sa’ad State Company UNMOVIC team visited mechanical engineering and design center (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Naser al-Adheem General Company IAEA team visited facility in Baghdad’s Daura district (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Qa Qaa U.N. teams visit this chemical and explosives production plant (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Mansour State Company IAEA radiation survey of electronics manufacturing facility (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Dar al-Salam chemical plant (See GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Tahidi factory Production plant for electrical cables and high-voltage generators (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Qadasiyah Dairy Factory in southern Diwaniya province (See GSN, Feb. 18).
Feb. 17 Al-Khadimia and al-Samoud Factories UNMOVIC missile inspectors examined these facilities that work on liquid-fueled engines (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Assma Company Manufacturing plant for al-Fateh missile components (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Mutasim airfield Site of Iraqi UAV testing (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Ameen Factory Site of static testing of al-Fateh and al-Abour missile motor cases (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Um al-Maarik General Establishment Manufacturing facility for missile and rocket motor cases (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Muthanna UNMOVIC chemical experts visited “in connection with the mustard gas destruction process and took some chemical samples for analysis” (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Zahif al-Kabeer Center Chemical plant designed to extract minerals and chemical compounds from mining and seawater (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Fuwayjah UNMOVIC biological experts visited this seed processing facility (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Hadr Ammuntion Storage Facility UNMOVIC teams “focused primarily on artillery and small-caliber munitions” (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Samarra IAEA radiation survey (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Nida IAEA experts visited this heavy industrial manufacturing plant (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Um al-Maarik IAEA “no-notice” inspection (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Tho al-Fekar IAEA team investigates flow forming equipment and processes (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Feb. 16 Food processing facility at Baquba UNMOVIC biological inspectors visited (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Biology Department of the College of Sciences at Baquba University
Food processing facility at Diyala
Diyala Tuberculosis and respiratory center
Al-Kindi UNMOVIC missile experts visited this missile development site (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Ibn al-Haytham UNMOVIC missile experts tagged SA-2 missile engines (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Taji Missile experts tagged al-Samoud 2 missiles (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Mamoun Missile inspectors examined casting chambers rebuilt by Iraq after U.N. inspectors destroyed them in the 1990s (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Fallujah 3 UNMOVIC chemical experts conducted an “inspection involved [in] the verification of declared items” (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Hadr Ammunition Storage Facility UNMOVIC teams “covered a vast amount of ground, which included roughly 300 storage warehouses, bunkers, brick stores, metal containers and external munitions dumps” (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Feb. 15 Al-Nida UNMOVIC missile inspection of solid propellant mixer plant (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Nissan Factory 17 Production plant for al-Samound missile components (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Salah al-Din State Company Manufacturing facility for fuses and printed circuit boards for missiles (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Saddam Center for Biotechnology Research UNMOVIC biological team visited to “follow up the movement of items notified by the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate” (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Chemistry Department of Saddam University College of Science (See GSN, Feb. 18).
Southern Refinery Company UNMOVIC chemical experts sought evidence of chemical weapons production at this facility in Basra (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Tuwaitha Rockclimbing IAEA inspectors explore previously inaccessible underground chambers at the Israeli-bombed Tamuz 1 reactor complex (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Tuwaitha IAEA officials inspected and prepared to remove “a small amount of natural uranium slurry,” previously intended for removal in 1998 (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Radwan and Yarmouk facilities IAEA radiation surveys (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Taji Engineering facility IAEA inspectors examined this aircraft engine facility (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Feb. 7-13 See GSN, Feb. 14.  

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From February 19, 2003 issue.

Iraq I:  U.S.-British Resolution Delayed as Security Council Hears Anti-War Message

The United States and United Kingdom have dropped plans to circulate a new resolution on Iraq to the U.N. Security Council today.  The decision came as dozens of nations spoke before the council yesterday and today to oppose the use of force against Iraq (see GSN, Feb. 18).

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte said the United States had not decided whether to go through with an additional resolution, much less when to do it.  British diplomats, however, said they would push hard for Security Council approval of any military action in Iraq.

The two allies had planned to circulate a new draft today, but they still haven’t agreed on its contents, according to diplomats.  Outstanding issues included whether to set a specific deadline for Iraq to meet detailed demands or to issue a more general ultimatum. 

“All options are on the table,” said one U.S. diplomat (Dafna Linzer, Associated Press/Yahoo.com, Feb. 19).

U.S. President George W. Bush said he supported pursuing a second resolution, but its passage was not necessary for the United States to act.

“We don’t need a second resolution.  It’s clear this guy [Iraqi President Saddam Hussein] couldn’t even care less about the first resolution.  He’s in total defiance with [U.N. Security Council Resolution] 1441.  But we’re working with our friends and allies to see if we can get a second resolution,” Bush told reporters yesterday (MacAskill/White, London Guardian, Feb. 19).

U.S. Finds Little Support in Security Council

Speakers at the open Security Council debate yesterday and this morning gave their support to continuing the U.N. weapons inspection regime to ensure Iraq’s disarmament, but also stressed that the burden was on Iraq to fully cooperate with the inspectors. 

Few countries expressed support for the U.S. and British position that there is no point continuing the inspections and that the use of force to disarm Iraq is now necessary.

While there was little support for that view, there was a sense that only Iraq’s “proactive” cooperation with inspectors can prevent the use of force.  “Under the current circumstances and with a devastating war in the offing, it is all the more incumbent upon Iraqi leadership to fully and proactively cooperate with the weapons inspectors,” Iranian Ambassador Javad Zarif said yesterday.

Iran, Jordan, Kuwait and Turkey, which all neighbor Iraq, warned against the regional instability a war would cause and reminded the council that they are still feeling the effects of the first Gulf War in the form of refugees and the economic impact of sanctions.

“The extent of destabilization in the region and uncertainty in Iraq in the case of a war may go far beyond our imagination today,” said Zarif.  “Given the state of the Iraqi society and the whole region, there are so many wild cards and no party could fit them beforehand into its calculations with any degree of certainty.  But one outcome is almost certain:  extremism stands to benefit enormously from an uncalculated adventure in Iraq.”

Turkish Ambassador Umit Pamir said, “We look for a solution that will not require military involvement while reassuring the world that there are no lurking dangers whatsoever of the sort Security Council Resolution 1441 deals with.”  He added, “We should recognize that intense diplomatic efforts backed by a credible force posture still seems to be, especially in this case, the most plausible means to achieve progress.”

Resolution 1441, adopted unanimously in November, set the stage for the return of the inspectors and also warned Iraq of  “serious consequences” — language universally considered code for military action — if it did not cooperate.

Jordanian Ambassador Zeid Ra’ad Zeid al-Hussein said the inspections process has “proven an unprecedented efficiency.  It should be continued and enhanced if necessary.”  He also called on Iraq “not to waste the available opportunity and take the initiative by cooperating proactively in the implementation of the relevant Security Council resolutions.”

This public meeting was requested by the Nonaligned Movement to give noncouncil members an opportunity to comment on Friday’s reports by Hans Blix, chairman of the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, and Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency. 

South African Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo, speaking for the coalition of 115 developing countries, said yesterday, “We believe that resorting to war without fully exhausting all other options represents an admission of failure by the Security Council in carrying out its mandate.”

The Blix and ElBaradei reports show “that the inspection process in Iraq is working and that Iraq is showing clear signs of cooperating more proactively with the inspectors,” Kumalo said.  Nothing that has been revealed “thus far would seem to justify the Security Council abandoning the inspection process and immediately resorting to the threatened ‘serious consequences,’“ he added.

U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte said last night outside the council chambers, “We want to be sensitive to international opinion … but in the end, our behavior is going to be determined by our concern about the disarmament of Iraq and considerations of national security of our own country and of others.”

Some Countries Support Issuing A New Security Council Resolution

Only Australia and Japan — and to a lesser extent, Argentina and Peru — supported the U.S. position that continued inspections are futile and that a second resolution is now necessary, but both stopped short of calling for the use of force.  Australian Ambassador John Dauth said, “The Security Council should not wait forever to confront this issue.  Either Iraq has complied or it hasn’t.  The Security Council should move quickly to consider a further resolution that deals decisively with Iraq’s failure to comply with Resolution 1441.”  He added, “We could wait until March … but do we really think more time will make Iraq cooperate?”

Japanese Ambassador Koichi Haraguchi said, “There is serious doubt as to the effectiveness of continued inspections,” adding, “based on the fact that Iraq is not cooperating and not discharging its obligations fully, we consider it desirable that the Security Council adopt a new resolution that clearly demonstrates the determined attitude of the international community.”

Iraq Responds

Iraqi Ambassador Mohammed al-Douri told the Security Council session yesterday that his government has cooperated with inspectors. 

“Reason and wisdom make it incumbent upon us to ask if there is any justification for the U.S. 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,” said al-Douri.  He added that an invasion “will be evidence of a failure of the international system in its entirety. … This attack will undermine the credibility of the Security Council” (Jim Wurst, Global Security Newswire, Feb. 19).

Missile Dispute Continues

Iraq has not decided whether to destroy its al-Samoud 2 ballistic missiles as requested by UNMOVIC head Blix last week.  An experts’ panel convened by Blix concluded that the missile violated U.N. bans on missiles with ranges greater than 150 kilometers.

Iraq has disputed that conclusion, saying that missile tests that exceeded that range were caused by the test missiles being lighter than their operational versions would be.

A decision on the matter would require additional U.N.-Iraqi discussion.

“It depends on the concrete results (that) might occur between Iraq and UNMOVIC,” said al-Douri (CNN.com, Feb. 19).

Unsuccessful Interviews

Despite hopes that private interviews with Iraqi scientists would uncover new information for U.N. weapons inspectors, not a single such interview has proven successful for UNMOVIC experts, according to U.N. officials.

“There were roughly 30 attempts made to interview Iraqis in private, and three such interviews took place,” U.N. spokesman Hiro Ueki said yesterday.

Each of the three had been recommended by Iraqi and officials and none of the scientists UNMOVIC asked to interview privately has agreed.

“We hope that Iraqi interviewees will eventually accept being interviewed in private under UNMOVIC’s terms,” Ueki said.

IAEA inspectors have had more success by relaxing the interview rules.  The agency allows the interviewees to tape record the interview (John Daniszewski, Los Angeles Times, Feb. 19).

South African Disarmament Assistance

South African President Thabo Mbeki announced yesterday that a team of seven disarmament experts would travel to Iraq by the end of this week, CNN.com reported.

The team includes Deon Smit, who was South Africa’s top liaison with the International Atomic Energy Agency during the country’s disarmament, and Super Moloyi, who recently traveled to Iraq as part of a group pushing peace initiatives.

“Between [the team members] they will be able to address all matters that relate to nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, missile systems, nonproliferation and disarmament,” Mbeki said before a session of parliament in Cape Town (Charlayne Hunter-Gault, CNN.com, Feb. 18).

Inspections

Teams from UNMOVIC and the IAEA visited 13 sites in Iraq yesterday, according to U.N. spokesman Hiro Ueki.

UNMOVIC teams missile teams inspected five sites, including the al-Khadima facility, which handles the final assembly of al-Samoud 2 missiles.  Teams also visited al-Harith, which is involved in missile research and development; al-Qaid, which fills al-Samoud 2 warheads; al-Radwan Factory, which manufactures missile parts and containers; and several deployed al-Samoud 2 missiles.

U.N. chemical experts visited al-Muthanna to continue destroying artillery shells filled with mustard agent but their work was delayed by poor weather.  A separate team conducted an inspection of Dar al-Salam Factory for Chemical Industries, about 70 kilometers west of Baghdad.

Inspectors visited the Mansour Electronic Company, west of Baghdad, and the Sa’ad State Company in Baghdad.

A biological inspections team visited the Qadasiyah Dairy Factory, about 180 kilometers south of Baghdad.

IAEA teams inspected the al-Tahidi Company, which specializes in electronics, and the al-Naser al-Adheem General Company in Baghdad.  A third IAEA team conducted radiation surveys in two Baghdad neighborhoods (IAEA release, Feb. 18).

Today, inspectors visited the Abu Ghraib missile site, northwest of Baghdad, Reuters reported.

Teams also visited the al-Mamoun, Ibn al-Haytham and al-Fidaa military sites near Baghdad.

A UNMOVIC team returned to al-Muthanna and another set of inspectors visited a Baghdad vegetable oil factory.

IAEA teams visited military facilities at al-Nidaa, al-Zawra and another conducted radiation tests at Nahrawan, south of Baghdad (Reuters, Feb. 19).


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From February 19, 2003 issue.

U.S. Response:  Domestic Needs Draw Staff From East European Border Control Training

By David McGlinchey
Global Security Newswire

A U.S. program aimed at preventing WMD smuggling in Eastern Europe has seen many active duty personnel be reassigned to protect U.S. borders, and officials are now turning to law enforcement retirees to help train East European border guards.

The eight-year-old On-Site Directorate Program — run by the Pentagon’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency — sends FBI and U.S. Customs Service teams to Eastern Europe to train officials to detect WMD smuggling and investigate WMD incidents.  The program offers classes to local officials on a range of subjects, from investigating crimes to detecting chemical, biological or nuclear weapons at border checkpoints.

This is “training that builds professionalism and awareness,” said DTRA spokesman Clem Gaines.

The teams, which range from five to eight people, were previously stocked with a mix of contractors and active U.S. law enforcement personnel but are now becoming increasingly reliant on former agents.

“Three or four years ago, we were using more active duty FBI and Customs,” said Ken Keating, chief of DTRA’s Arms Control Interagency Liaison Division.

The FBI still mandates that at least one member of every team be an active duty agent but some Customs Service teams go into the field staffed entirely by contractors, he said.

Program officials, however, do not see the influx of retirees as a weakness.  Law enforcement agencies have a mandatory retirement age of 57, which is sometimes too young, according to Keating.

Not all contractors are retired FBI or Customs agents, but retirees include a “lot of people who still have a lot of useful life and the program can certainly use their expertise … If they are retired from the FBI or the Customs they are ideal candidates,” he said.

Program Began in 1995

The program is divided into two parts, an FBI component that was created in the 1995 Defense Authorization Act and a Customs Service component created in the 1997 Defense Authorization Act.

The United States offers the program to countries in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union, except for Russia.  Lynn Gibby, the representative for the program’s contracting officer, said the program has a mandate to work with about 25 countries.

The FBI teams train local officials on internal controls, including how to investigate crimes and how to respond to WMD incidents.  Customs Service teams train border control agents to prevent dangerous materials from leaking out of the region.

The program is flourishing, officials are adding courses to the schedule and countries are requesting more training, Gibby said.  The legislation is open ended and the agency has budgeted $8.8 million to spend on the program in fiscal 2003.  Officials have tentatively planned 40 visits this year to hold classes for East European officials.

The program, however, is faced with the difficulty of measuring its own effectiveness.  Keating said that a lack of incidents involving weapons of mass destruction is encouraging, but it is difficult to take credit for something that does not happen.

“It’s hard to prove a negative,” according to Keating.

The situation is similar to a police officer who receives firearms training, but never shoots his gun.  “Just because he doesn’t fire his weapon, doesn’t mean the training was wasted,” Keating said.


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From February 19, 2003 issue.

India:  United States Imposes Sanctions on Indian Company

The U.S. State Department has leveled sanctions against an Indian company and a Indian national who “have engaged in chemical/biological weapons proliferation activities,” according to an announcement in today’s Federal Register (see GSN, Jan. 21).

As of Feb. 4, neither the Indian firm NEC Engineers Private nor the individual Hans Raj Shiv may export any goods to the United States, according to the notice signed by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Nonproliferation John Wolf. 

U.S. officials sanctioned Shiv last summer for violating the Iran-Iraq Arms Nonproliferation Act of 1992 (see GSN, July 25, 2002).  In a dossier released last September, British Prime Minister Tony Blair cited NEC for dealing arms to Iraq (see GSN, Sept. 24).

NEC was originally based in India but has now spread its operations to the Middle East and Eurasia, according to the State Department.

Shiv is believed to be in the Middle East.

The sanctions will apply for “at least one year and until further notice,” according to the State Department document (Federal Register, Feb. 19).


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From February 19, 2003 issue.

Iraq II:  Summary of Inspections

Experts from the U.N. Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency have conducted hundreds of inspections in Iraq since resuming the post-Gulf War inspection regime Nov. 27.  More than 200 U.N. personnel, including about 150 inspectors, are now based in the country at two facilities in Baghdad and Mosul.  The following chart summarizes some of the inspectors’ recently reported activities.

Date Site Activity
Feb. 19 Abu Ghraib An al-Samoud missile site, northwest of Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Mamoun UNMOVIC team inspected this military compound near Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Ibn al-Haithem UNMOVIC team inspected this military compound near Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Fidaa UNMOVIC team inspected this military compound near Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Muthanna UNMOVIC chemical team visited site near Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Vegetable oil factory Inspectors visited factory in Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Nidaa IAEA inspectors visited military compound (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Al-Zawra IAEA inspectors visited military compound (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Nahrawan IAEA inspectors visited military compound south of Baghdad (see GSN, Feb. 19).
Feb. 18 Al-Khadima Facility responsible for final assembly of al-Samoud missiles (see GSN, Feb. 19).
  Al-Harith Missile engine and gyroscope research and development facility (see GSN, Feb. 19).
  Al-Qaid Site where al-Samoud missile warheads are filled (see GSN, Feb. 19).
  Al-Radwan Facility manufactures missile parts and containers (see GSN, Feb. 18).
  Deployed al-Samoud missiles UNMOVIC missile team visited deployed missiles (see GSN, Feb. 19).
  Al-Mutanna Team visited facility to continue destroying artillery shells filled with mustard agent but were delayed by weather (see GSN, Feb. 19).
  Sa’ad State Company UNMOVIC team visited mechanical engineering and design center (see GSN, Feb. 19).
  Al-Naser al-Adheem General Company IAEA team visited facility in Baghdad’s Daura district (see GSN, Feb. 19).
  Al-Qa Qaa U.N. teams visit this chemical and explosives production plant (see GSN, Feb. 18).
  Mansour State Company IAEA radiation survey of electronics manufacturing facility (see GSN, Feb. 18).
  Dar al-Salam chemical plant (See GSN, Feb. 18).
  Al-Tahidi factory Production plant for electrical cables and high-voltage generators (see GSN, Feb. 18).
  Qadasiyah Dairy Factory in southern Diwaniya province (See GSN, Feb. 18).
Feb. 17 Al-Khadimia and al-Samoud Factories UNMOVIC missile inspectors examined these facilities that work on liquid-fueled engines (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Assma Company Manufacturing plant for al-Fateh missile components (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Mutasim airfield Site of Iraqi UAV testing (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Al-Ameen Factory Site of static testing of al-Fateh and al-Abour missile motor cases (see GSN, Feb. 18).
Um al-Maarik General Establishment