14 April 1998
[EXCERPTS] UNITED NATIONS REPORT, TUESDAY, APRIL 14, 1998
"A WORLD OF NEWS FROM THE WORLD ORGANIZATION" Daily Highlights Monday, 13 April, 1998 This daily news round-up is prepared by the Central News Section of the Department of Public Information. .......... -- UN technical experts conclude Iraq's information on its biological weapons programme is incomplete and inadequate. -- International Atomic Energy Agency reports "no immediate indications" of prohibited materials at Iraqi presidential sites. -- UN human rights expert reports that Iraq may have executed 1,500 people last year for political reasons. .......... UN TECHNICAL EXPERTS CONCLUDE IRAQ'S INFORMATION ON ITS BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS PROGRAMME IS INCOMPLETE AND INADEQUATE Iraq's disclosure of its biological weapons programme is incomplete and inadequate, a meeting of UN team of technical experts has concluded. The team of experts held a third technical evaluation meeting from 20 to 27 March in Vienna to examine all aspects of Iraq's biological warfare programme. The team's report has been forwarded to the Security Council by Richard Butler, the Executive Chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM). The team found that Iraq's latest disclosure of its biological weapons programme contained major mistakes, inconsistencies and gaps in information. The disclosure did not provide a clear understanding of the current status of the programme or whether or when it was terminated. The organizational aspects of the programme were not clear and there was little confidence that its full scope was revealed. The existence of dormant or additional biological weapons programmes remained unresolved, the report concludes. Security Council resolution 707 (1991), requires Iraq to submit a "full, final and complete disclosure" of its weapons programmes. Since May 1992, Iraq has submitted a series of disclosures to UNSCOM and, in 1995, acknowledged the existence of an offensive biological weapons programme. In September 1997, a panel of experts considered the then latest disclosure incomplete, inadequate and technically flawed. At the Vienna meeting, the Iraqi delegation promised to improve its disclosure. The experts said that if the technical evaluation meeting resulted in a significant improvement in Iraq's declaration, that would be a positive outcome. INTERNATIONAL ATOMIC ENERGY AGENCY REPORTS "NO IMMEDIATE INDICATIONS" OF PROHIBITED MATERIALS AT IRAQI PRESIDENTIAL SITES The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has reported that its recent inspections of eight presidential sites in Iraq revealed "no immediate indications of the presence of prohibited materials or of the conduct of prohibited activities with respect to the mandate of IAEA under the relevant Security Council resolutions." In its latest report to the Security Council, the IAEA indicates that Iraq has satisfactorily completed its undertaking to produce a consolidated version of its full, final and complete declaration on the country's clandestine nuclear activities. Iraq has also fulfilled its obligation to provide a summary of the technical achievements of its clandestine nuclear programme. The IAEA stresses that, while focusing on ongoing verification and monitoring activities, it will continue to exercise its right to investigate any aspect of Iraq's clandestine nuclear programme. In particular, the Agency will follow-up on any new information and will destroy, remove or render harmless any prohibited items discovered through its investigations. UN HUMAN RIGHTS EXPERT REPORTS THAT IRAQ MAY HAVE EXECUTED 1,500 PEOPLE LAST YEAR FOR POLITICAL REASONS Stating that the human rights situation in Iraq has deteriorated, a United Nations expert has reported that it is highly probable that more than 1,500 summary, arbitrary or extrajudicial executions for political purposes have been carried out last year. The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Iraq, Max van der Stoel, points to "strong evidence" that since last August, hundreds of prisoners have been put to death as part of a "Prison Cleaning Campaign." Executions were reportedly carried out by shooting, hanging or electrocution, with relatives of the executed having to pay the value of the bullet used for the executions in order to recover the bodies. Some of the bodies returned to their respective families were said to display signs of torture. Army deserters as well as Islamist activists continue to be subjected to the death penalty, according to the report. Iraqi law imposes life imprisonment and, in certain cases, death on anyone insulting the President. The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government of Iraq act immediately to bring an end to summary or arbitrary executions, arbitrary arrests and detention, torture and ill-treatment by members of security forces, disappearances of individuals, and forced relocations. He stresses that persons responsible for those acts must be brought to justice without delay. Mr. van der Stoel has been unable to visit Iraq since 1992. His report is based on information received from governmental, intergovernmental and non-governmental sources, and by sending human rights monitors to neighbouring countries. ........
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