04 June 1998
IRAQ STILL A THREAT TO REGION, RICHARDSON SAYS
(UNSCOM briefs UNSC on outstanding issues with Iraqi weapons) (1360) By Judy Aita USIA United Nations Correspondent United Nations -- The United States believes that "Iraq still represents a threat to its neighbors and this is why it should be contained," US Ambassador Bill Richardson said June 4 after attending a two-day briefing by the UN Special Commission overseeing the destruction of Iraqi weapons (UNSCOM). "The UNSCOM presentation made the following clear: One, biological weapons may be in Iraq today. Two, VX nerve agents may be in Iraq today. Three, Iraq continues to play hide and seek with UNSCOM with the UN inspections. And four, Iraq is still hiding the documents that would explain these weapons programs fully," Richardson told journalists after the private meetings. "Perhaps in the nuclear area, if there is adequate compliance between now and the next sanctions review, there may be a move (from inspections and disarmament) to (long-term) monitoring," Richardson said. "But it is clear that in no way will there be a move to monitoring in the chemical, biological, and missile area. That was amply documented here today." "Iraq is deceiving UNSCOM and it's deceiving the Security Council and this must stop if Iraq expects to get sanctions lifted," the ambassador said. The ambassador singled out a problem with accounting for Iraqi produced SCUD-type missiles known as Al-Hussein missiles. UNSCOM was "told officially by Iraq that in 1991 all relevant documentation in connection with an establishment called Al Farouk, which was engaged in production of Iraq's own program of scud-type missiles, had been handed over. It now turns around that we have a document given to the Special Commission in March this year that shows in 1993 the employees in that establishment were being ordered to remove, destroy or conceal documents which could be of relevance to the Security Council resolution," British Ambassador Sir John Weston said. Richardson pointed out that "while Soviet-supplied SCUD missiles have been accounted for, UNSCOM has made clear that Iraq produced, flight tested, and delivered to its army Al-Hussein SCUDs that have not been accounted for." "This is extremely serious," Richardson added. "Iraq will not show UNSCOM even one remnant of these supposedly secretly destroyed missiles." The difference between UNSCOM's briefing and the meeting council members had with Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf on June 2, during which he attempted to convince them that his government had satisfied the requirements and destroyed all its chemical, biological, nuclear, and ballistic weapons and their programs, Sir John said, was the difference "between chalk and cheese, the difference between truth and falsehood." Richardson said UNSCOM demonstrated by charts, by photographs, and intelligence material that "there is still a number of disturbing patterns of concealment, of obfuscation, of failing to provide documents in the chemical, biological, and missile area. Very serious lack of information." "Every country needs to speak for itself, but what was presented here was very sobering, was very disturbing," he said. Basing his conclusions on the questions council members asked of the UNSCOM experts during the meetings, Richardson said he believed that "Iraq has lost a lot of support in the Security Council." "Those countries that may have felt that Iraq was complying and being responsive will not take a second look at that conclusion," the ambassador said. Richardson praised UNSCOM as a group of highly trained technical experts and international civil servants who are "devoted to seeking the truth and only the truth with facts, with documents." "Today we were briefed by two Russians, a Frenchman, two Germans, two Americans, an Argentine, and the Australian chairman of UNSCOM. The presentation was thorough, factual, and totally credible," the US ambassador said. At a press conference after the council meeting, UNSCOM Chairman Richard Butler said he will be presenting to Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz in Baghdad June 13 and 14 a 14-point list that some have called "a road map." He said he will discuss "driving instruction on how long, what are the stops along the way, and what is the best way" to complete the disarmament process. He said the list is "tight, and clear and specific," on what UNSCOM needs from Iraq in the areas of ballistic missiles, chemical weapons and biological weapons. Depending on the quality of the information Iraq gives UNSCOM, Butler said, "if Iraq follows this, if we can work out good driving instructions on this list ... I would expect, I could foresee a report in October that was very different from any previous report." Butler was emphatic that he did not expect to be able to verify to the council that Iraq had completed the disarmament process by October, but major progress could be made by the end of the year toward lifting sanctions. Nevertheless, "if Iraq gives us the truth we know it holds ... we know that materials requested are in the possession of the government of Iraq," he said, "then I'm sure we can move pretty fast." "There are some items that could be done on a day if given the document or piece of information we need. Some will take longer," he said. According to the list UNSCOM discussed with the council, the UN weapons inspectors need to complete the warhead material balance, a record of the unilateral destruction of propellants for long-range missiles, monthly production status reports for the major components of Iraq's production of Al-Hussein missiles, verifiable evidence of the disposition of unaccounted munitions, especially 155 mm mustard shells and chemical/biological aerial bombs, and information on the use and status of equipment moved from chemical weapons facilities prior to the Gulf War cease-fire resolution. UNSCOM also wants information on the acquisition and production of biological weapons materials, agents and munitions as well as on the destruction of such material. Butler said that in "a matter of weeks," he expects that UNSCOM will be able to "understand and have a satisfactory account" of how many special ballistic missile warheads for either chemical or biological weapons agents Iraq had. "That is a terrific development and I'm confident that it will occur," he said. In addition to the big gaps in the biological weapons area, another outstanding issue is the accounting for the fuel that can only be used to drive SCUD-type missiles, Butler said. "We've never had correct accounting of that propellant and need for us to have that accounting to bring the missile area to closure." Butler also pointed out that "the onus of proof is not" on UNSCOM. "The system of disarmament that the council created has three parts -- declaration, verification, and destruction -- and they begin with Iraq's declaration," he said. "It is not our job to prove that Iraq does not any longer have biological weapons capability. It's their job to tell us what they have, truthfully, so that we can verify that and tell the council that we are satisfied that we know the truth," Butler said. "Basically we have a fair idea of what quantities are involved," he said, but added that to say what numbers UNSCOM experts are looking for would be the wrong way to verify arms programs. For UNSCOM to reveal in full what it knows so Iraq could match the numbers is wrong, he said. "The more truthful and correct way for verification to work is for ... Iraq to step forward and reveal the factual story," Butler said. The UNSCOM chairman said that during the council meeting he saw "no division in the council with respect to fundamental tasks" that needed to be completed. "I see a very strong agreement on the basic objectives." "Of course there are nuances of view about how it's being done and how it might be better done. But that is just within the normal range of life," he said. In some areas, 100 percent verification will not be possible, Butler also said, and the council will have to "come to grips with this" politically before deciding when to move to lift sanctions. (For more information on this subject, contact our special Iraq website at: http://www.usia.gov/iraq)
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