Ladies and Gentlemen, good afternoon. I would like first to say a few things, then I will recieve your questions. As the whole world has been deeply shocked by a new American and British military aggression against Iraq, which they have started yesterday after midnight. They call it Operation Desert Fox. In fact, it is Operation Villains in the Arabian Desert.
Yesterday, the American president, the prime minister of Britain and other ministers in the American administration and in the British government claimed that they have committed this act of aggression against Iraq because the report presented by the executive chairman of the special commission to the secretary-general of the United Nations showed that Iraq did not cooperate fully.
I would like to remind you, and through you I would like to remind the two governments who are fully responsible for their act of aggression against Iraq -- I mean the American and the British governments -- that the secretary-general, Mr. Kofi Annan, had received two reports, the first one on the 14th of December, presented to him by the IAEA, the International Atomic Energy Agency.
The IAEA in its report had stated clearly that the Iraqi counterpart has provided the necessary level of cooperation to enable the above-enumerated activities to be completed effectively and -- efficiently and effectively.
During the whole yesterday up to now, may I ask you and ask the world public opinion, have you heard anything from the American administration or the British government, anything, any mention of the report of the IAEA?
The answer is none -- not. They haven't mentioned anything about, because they cannot benefit from it for their own evil intentions. Because the report of the IAEA had stated clearly that Iraq had provided the necessary level of cooperation to enable the above-enumerated activities to be completed efficiently and actively.
They lied to the world shamelessly, saying that the report of the executive chairman of UNSCOM showed that Iraq had not cooperated. Well, may I give you briefly facts and figures?
Since the resumption of cooperation between Iraq and UNSCOM on the 17th of November, UNSCOM had sent to Iraq eight inspection teams.
They had operated 427 inspections. I repeat, 427 inspections to 427 sites. Two hundred ninety-nine of those sites are included in the ongoing monitoring regime -- 128 sites even not included in the ongoing monitoring regime, but still they asked to inspect them and we accepted.
They said -- the Americans and the British said Iraq did not cooperate. Well, out of the total inspections, which is 427, they mentioned that there were cases of non-cooperation in five cases.
Well, again, I want to tell you briefly and through you to the whole world, what were those five cases upon which the American administration and the British government had committed a dangerous crime against the people of Iraq because of those five cases?
One, they wanted to inspect a small headquarter of the political party, the Arabat (ph) Socialist Party. We asked them: What is the relation between small headquarter of a political party and a disarmament mission? They didn't answer.
The second case, they came to inspect a small building which previously was the office of the deputy of the director general of the special security organization.
Then later on this post had been canceled. No more. There is no deputy. So the office had been changed to be a guest house.
The Iraqi counterpart was explaining to the chief inspector, which is the Australian, Roger Hill, that this is no longer an office, this is now a guest house. So while explaining to the chief inspector, they -- it took it about 20 minutes, about -- around 30 minutes. They put it in the report this is one of the violations. You have delayed us about 45 minutes. So you deserve to be bombarded, because you have delayed an inspection team for 45 minutes, only to explain to them that this guest house, no longer an office. After that they have inspected it. This is the second one.
Then there is two cases where they demanded that they want to inspect establishments on Fridays. We told them that, according to the agreement with UNSCOM, not all Iraqi establishments function or work on Friday on the weekend, only small number of them. If that establishment is working on Friday, you are welcome. If it is not, well, we will go with you, but there are no people there. This is the agreement. They came on Friday and they insisted. We told them that we will go along, according to the agreement.
So, there are two cases of violation, they considered those two cases a violation, which we are not working on Fridays. Because we are not working on Fridays, this is a violation of the Security Council resolutions. This is noncooperation attitude, so we are deserved, we are deserving the bombardment. The fourth case which is the fifth case, a chief inspector which is an American woman, Diana Simon, she went to Baghdad University and she demanded that she wants to interview the undergraduate students -- please pay attention to this -- she wants to interview all undergraduate students in the science college in Baghdad University.
The Iraqi counterpart told her that this is incredible. What's the purpose of interviewing undergraduate? What was the relation between Iraqi undergraduate students and disarmament? Usually, UNSCOM asks to interview some of the post graduates for the master degree, for the doctorate degree.
Because we told this American lady that it is very difficult to comprehend, to understand that UNSCOM needs to interview undergraduate Iraqi students for the mission of disarmament of Iraq.
Ladies and gentlemen, those are the five cases on which the American administration, the British government had depended upon to say that we had a material breach of the Security Council resolutions and this an evidence that Iraq is not cooperating, so the Operation Villains in the Arabian Desert should be launched against you.
Well, what had happened yesterday? They said that they want to destroy the Iraqi mass destruction weapons in order to lie to the world, to the whole world that Iraq still possessing mass destruction weapons.
Just like that, cheap lies in order to deceive the world; in order to have the pretext to commit aggression against Iraq. Second, they say in order to prevent Iraq from rebuilding its mass destruction weapons.
Third, they said -- and this is very strange -- they said we want to degrade Iraq's ability to threaten its neighbors. And they said, we are going after the forces which sustain the rule of President Saddam Hussein. And it seems to me that the last target, it is an advice from Kissinger to the American administration.
They said, he mentioned today that he advised the American administration to go after the forces that would sustain the rule of President Saddam Hussein. Well, what had happened yesterday after boasting those dissolute, corrupt politicians and spasmodic rulers in United States of America and Britain -- what they have done yesterday.
I'll give you examples. Instead of their lies, I'll give you exactly examples what are the sites they have attacked yesterday -- only examples. They attacked with the cruise missile the house of President Saddam Hussein's daughter, Hela (ph), and fortunately, she and her relatives were not at that moment in their house. Well, is this one of the -- is this one of the forces which sustain the rule or the political system in Iraq?
Second, they bombarded also with cruise missiles several industrial establishments, all of them are under completely under ongoing monitoring. All of them. First, Al Kaka Corporation. It is completely under ongoing monitoring regime, and there are five cameras in that establishment, in that corporation. Al Karama Corporation -- it is completely under strict ongoing monitoring regime and there are 18 -- 18 -- monitoring cameras. Power company for pesticides. This small company produces brake oil for the cars, for the automobiles. They attacked this site.
And Nida (ph) Corporation -- it is under complete ongoing monitoring regime, and there are three monitoring cameras in this corporation. El Kindi (ph) Company, and there are also eight cameras for monitoring in this company. And amazingly, there is a small center called Al-Walid Center. It is a small training center. It trains fitarmen (ph) -- fitarmen (ph) -- it trains fitarmen (ph) for mechanics.
QUESTION: Oh, mechanics?
AL-SAHAF: Yes, mechanics. They attacked that small training center.
They attacked different districts in Baghdad, which is heavily populated with civilians. And one of them is Abuclan (ph) district. And I think some of you had visited that place. There is a building. There is heavy casualties, and collateral damage in those civilian quarters.
They attacked individual houses in several places in the capitol. And they attacked twice a small factory for dry batteries, batteries for light torches and other -- dry batteries.
And amongst the government buildings, they attacked the building of the security police. This office, the headquarters of the Iraqi security police, it has been inspected more than once by the inspection teams of UNSCOM, and they found nothing in it. Still, they bombarded it.
They bombarded also the military intelligence service headquarters. They have inspected that headquarters more than once. Still, they launch an attack by cruise missile on that headquarters.
So, ladies and gentlemen, the forces, these are examples to show you how cheap liars are the officials, the leaders of the American regime and the British regime. They think, unfortunately, that they can go away with their crime only by deception. And this is not -- will be not the case.
Lastly, I would like to say that this aggression against Iraq is a crime
against international law, the U.N. charter, and we will hold our full
right to hold them responsible fully, the Americans and the British, on
all the crimes they are committing against our country and our people.
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