10 November 1997
TEXT: UNSCOM LIST OF IRAQI WEAPONS VIOLATIONS
(Richardson addresses non-compliance with U.N. resolutions) (700) United Nations -- U.S. Ambassador Bill Richardson says the United States believes Iraq has managed to maintain a small force of SCUD-type missiles and a stockpile of chemical and biological munitions, despite United Nations efforts to find and destroy such weapons. He told reporters gathered outside the U.N. Security Council chambers during the Council's closed meeting on Iraq late November 10 that Iraq has never fully cooperated with the U.N. Special Commission overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM). He passed out to the reporters a list of eight examples of problems reported by UNSCOM that support the U.S. theory. The council was holding a private session to hear Secretary General Kofi Annan, and three special U.N. envoys who had returned from Baghdad, report on the mission aimed at obtaining Iraqi compliance with the council's resolutions. In October, Iraq refused to allow weapons inspections if U.S. citizens served on UNSCOM teams and demanded that all U.S. employees of UNSCOM leave the country. Iraq also has threatened action against UNSCOM U-2 reconnaissance aircraft surveillance flights. "I would like to remind everyone that UNSCOM was created because Iraq started a war by invading Kuwait and destroying its capital city. It threatened the states in the Gulf region; it hurled SCUD missiles against Israel, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and created horrific environmental problems by spilling oil in the gulf and setting hundreds of fires in Kuwait's oil fields," Richardson said. "The world doesn't have a short memory. The Security Council decided that Iraq shouldn't have the capability to do that again," the ambassador said. Following is the text of the UNSCOM list of Iraqi non-compliance as released by Richardson: (begin text) IRAQI NON-COMPLIANCE WITH SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS Saddam Hussein has never fully cooperated with UNSCOM and for six years has ignored the U.N. Security Council requirements to disarm. Iraq's extensive record of lying, obstruction and noncooperation demand that the highest standards of proof be employed to measure Iraqi compliance with U.N. resolutions. Only when pushed does Iraq grudgingly comply. We believe that Iraq maintains a small force of SCUD-type missiles, a stockpile of chemical and biological munitions and the capability to quickly resurrect biological and chemical weapons production. Cooperation with UNSCOM Iraq has taken an increasingly hard line with UNSCOM since the spring when UNSCOM began inspecting "security facilities" suspected of concealing documents and material. UNSCOM inspectors have detected Iraqi officials removing documents and material from buildings and burning documents to prevent them from being seized by UNSCOM. Iraq officials also interfered with several U.N. helicopter flights supporting inspections, at times endangering the aircraft by harassing the pilot. Ballistic Missiles Iraq has admitted producing SCUD engines, airframes and warheads before the war but UNSCOM has not been able to verify Iraq's claims that it destroyed all of these components. Iraq continues to expand a missile production facility and maintains production expertise. Iraq could quickly resume production of SCUD-type missiles, perhaps within one year. Biological Weapons Ambassador Butler said Iraq has "failed to give a remotely credible account of its biological weapons program." Iraq produced BW (biologial warfare) agents anthrax and botulinum toxin. It also prepared BW-filled munitions, including SCUD missiles and aerial bombs, during the Gulf war (although it did not use them). Iraq produced biological agent Ricin and later admitted that it had weaponized the agent. Although UNSCOM finally pressured Iraq into destroying a BW facility in the summer of 1996, Iraq has the expertise to quickly resume a small scale BW program at known facilities. For example, Iraq can covertly switch production of biopesticides to anthrax. Chemical Weapons UNSCOM believes that Iraq continues to conceal a small stockpile of CW (chemical warfare) agents, munitions and production equipment. Though UNSCOM has supervised the destruction of more than 53,000 CW weapons over the past six years, Baghdad retains the expertise to quickly resurrect CW production. Iraq has perfected the technique for the large-scale production of a VX precursor that is well suited to long-term storage. (end text)
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