IRAQ: GOVERNMENT SHOWS INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS A MASSIVE DOSSIER ON ITS ARMS PROGRAMMES AND DECLARED IT HAS NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
Record ID:
645757
IRAQ: GOVERNMENT SHOWS INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS A MASSIVE DOSSIER ON ITS ARMS PROGRAMMES AND DECLARED IT HAS NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
- Title: IRAQ: GOVERNMENT SHOWS INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISTS A MASSIVE DOSSIER ON ITS ARMS PROGRAMMES AND DECLARED IT HAS NO WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
- Date: 8th December 2002
- Summary: (W5) BAGHDAD, IRAQ (DECEMBER 7, 2002) (REUTERS) SLV JOURNALISTS BEING LET INTO PRESS AREA FOR DOCUMENTS; DOCUMENTS ON TABLE / MV BOARD WITH LIST OF DOCUMENTS (4 SHOTS) MV OFFICIALS FROM IRAQI NATIONAL MONITORING PROGRAMME; PAN ACROSS DOCUMENTS; CD ROMS; BIOLOGICAL PROGRAMME DOCUMENT (6 SHOTS) SLV JOURNALISTS LOOKING AT DOCUMENTS SLV NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) HUSSAN MOHAMMED AMIN, HEAD OF IRAQI NATIONAL MONITORING PROGRAMME, SAYING "We welcome you to the office of our directorate, to show a full accurate and complete declaration as required by the resolution 1441. The size of the declaration is about 12,000 pages for each copy two copies will be delivered: one to security council and one to the IAEA." SLV NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) HUSSAN MOHAMMED AMIN, HEAD OF IRAQI NATIONAL MONITORING PROGRAMME, SAYING "Those declaration is has been prepared by scientists and engineers from different ministers of Iraq and from the National Monitoring Directorate and I think the U.S. and Britain wanted such a huge declaration not for the purpose of disarmament but to put Iraq in a critical position because they thought that Iraq would not be able to to finish all these declarations in this short time, which is one month only after the adoption of the resolution 1441." SLV NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) HUSSAN MOHAMMED AMIN, HEAD OF IRAQI NATIONAL MONITORING PROGRAMME SAYING "On different occasions we declared that Iraq is empty of weapons of mass destruction, and I reiterate to you that Iraq has no weapons of mass distraction, but the documents contain some activities and equipment which is dual use, and they will be declared fully and accurately to the Security Council and UNMOVIC and IAEA." (W5) ISKANDARIYAH, IRAQ (DECEMBER 7, 2002) (REUTERS) SLV EXTERIOR OF AL-QUDS GENERAL COMPANY FOR MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES SLV INSPECTORS ON SITE / PICTURE OF SADDAM HUSSEIN; INSPECTORS ON SITE; INSPECTORS WALKING WITH IRAQI OFFICIALS; INSPECTORS' VEHICLES LEAVING COMPOUND; EQUIPMENT INSIDE; MV MEDIA AND IRAQI OFFICIALS (19 SHOTS) SLV EXTERIORS OF COMPOUND (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) DIRECTOR GENERAL OF AL-QUDS GENERAL COMPANY FOR MECHANICAL INDUSTRIES HAMID AL-AZAWEE SAYING "They got acquainted with everything, either in the computers or in anything else."
- Embargoed: 23rd December 2002 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BAGHDAD AND ISKANDARIYAH, IRAQ
- Country: Iraq
- Topics: Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA7PCK6T29AK1SW4ZB7NSI3YJP4
- Story Text: Iraq has shown international journalists a massive dossier on its arms programmes and declared it had no weapons of mass destruction.
Baghdad unveiled its document on Saturday (December 7, 2002), shortly before it was due to hand it over to United Nations (U.N.) weapons inspectors.
The dossier, which could spell the difference between war and peace, was shown to reporters at the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate in central Baghdad.
"We welcome you to the office of our directorate, to show a full accurate and complete declaration as required by the resolution 1441. The size of the declaration is about 12,000 pages for each copy two copies will be delivered: one to security council and one to the IAEA," said Hussan Mohammed Amin, head of Iraq's national monitoring programme, as journalists viewed the declaration.
The declaration was contained in 11,807 pages, 352 pages of supplements and CD-Roms with a total 529 megabytes of data, according to a sign at the Directorate headquarters.
About 100 foreign journalists surged into the building, shattering the main glass door to the Directorate headquarters, to see the declaration. The documents, seen by a Reuters journalist, were in about two dozen files placed on a table next to golden CD-Roms. Some were entitled "Currently Accurate, Full and Complete Declaration".
Most of the papers appeared to be in English with some in Arabic. Reporters were not shown the contents.
The weapons declaration comes one month after a tough U.N.
Security Council resolution gave Baghdad a chance to disarm or face possible U.S.-led military action.
The U.N. resolution gave Baghdad a deadline of Sunday (December 8) to provide a full account of any past and current programmes involving biological, chemical or nuclear weapons.
"We declared that Iraq is empty of weapons of mass destruction. I reiterate Iraq has no weapons of mass destruction. This declaration has some activities that are dual-use," Amin told reporters, referring to technology which has both peaceful and military applications.
The Iraqi declaration will be flown to Vienna, seat of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and to the United Nations in New York.
U.N. Security Council members have decided to postpone its release for as much as a week to allow U.N. experts to screen it for any military secrets that might help outsiders develop their own doomsday weapons.
Both the New York-based U.N. Monitoring and Verification Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the IAEA will vet the material.
Diplomats say it could take a week before the 15 Security Council members get a copy.
If Baghdad is found to be in "material breach" of U.N.
resolution 1441, it could set the stage for a military attack on Iraq by the United States and its allies.
U.N. arms inspectors must report to the Security Council by January 26, but they can flag any Iraqi violations sooner.
U.S. officials have said President George W. Bush's administration is expected to declare Iraq in "material breach" if Baghdad states it has no weapons of mass destruction and Washington believes it can prove otherwise.
The United States alleges Baghdad has biological, chemical and nuclear weapons programmes in violation of U.N. agreements reached after the 1991 Gulf War when a coalition led by Washington forced Iraq out of Kuwait.
But officials said Washington would not cite the breach as an immediate cause for war, instead letting U.N. inspections continue while Bush courts partners to help strike Iraq if needed.
British Prime Minister Tony Blair said on Saturday (December 07) he hoped Iraq's declaration was full and factual, but remained sceptical Saddam was genuinely co-operating with the U.N. weapons inspectors.
Weapons experts who restarted inspections in Iraq last month for the first time in four years say Baghdad has co-operated with searches at 20 suspect sites so far.
Earlier on Saturday (December 07) U.N. arms experts resumed inspections after a two-day break for a Muslim festival.
One team revisited Iraq's main nuclear research facility while a second examined a new military industrial research centre.
A team from UNMOVIC examined a compound housing the al-Quds (Jerusalem) General Company in the town of al-Iskandariyah, 40 km (25 miles) south of Baghdad.
The company is part of Iraq's state Military Industrialisation Commission. Officials say the facility focuses mainly on research in mechanical and munition engineering.
The experts spent three and a half hours at the site.
"They got acquainted with every thing, either in the computers or in anything else," said Hamid al-Azzawi, director of the facility.
IAEA experts spent two hours at al-Tuweitha nuclear facility, 20 km (12 miles) south of the Iraqi capital. The visit followed an inspection on December 4.
Tuweitha is the location of the Osirak reactor bombed by Israel in 1981. Several tonnes of uranium have been under seal by the IAEA at Tuweitha since 1998.
U.N. sources in Iraq said 30 arms experts would arrive in Baghdad on Sunday (December 08) to add to the 17 who are already conducting probes.
As Iraqi authorities unveiled the declaration, local media reported that President Saddam Hussein was expected to deliver a message to Kuwait on Saturday (December 07) evening. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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