Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

DATE=11/18/02

TYPE=INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT

TITLE=OLIVIA BOSCH, A FORMER WEAPONS INSPECTOR IN IRAQ

NUMBER=3-424

BYLINE=PAT BODNAR

DATELINE=WASHINGTON

INTERNET=

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HOST: United Nations weapons inspectors have returned to Iraq for the first time in four years to begin a search for banned weapons. After stepping off a U-N-chartered flight to Baghdad today (Monday), chief U-N weapons inspector Hans Blix told reporters his team is there because the world wants assurances there are no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Mr. Blix and Mohamed El Baradei of the International Atomic Energy Agency are heading a team of some 30 members, who will begin preliminary work to prepare for inspections November 27th.

Olivia Bosch is a former weapons inspector in Iraq. She tells V-O-'s Pat Bodnar what the inspectors will be looking for.

MS. BOSCH: When the inspectors go in, what they will want to look at are actually several areas. One is of course they will want to visit some of the sites which are called dual-use sites. These are primarily civilian sites, where there are current processes to make, for instance, animal feed or biopesticides or yogurt. So, the inspectors will go there to make sure that there is no material or items that might be diverted to a military program.

But perhaps more importantly, the inspectors will want to interview many of the scientists and weapons engineers that may have worked on previous programs of weapons of mass destruction. So, the interview process will be quite important as well.

Most often one hears about the access to the presidential sites. These may be over-exaggerated in terms of their importance. This perhaps may be because the Iraqis would have to make a calculation that if they did hide weapons of mass destruction, or rather component parts or stockpile of agents, in these sites, then they are likely to be subject to military attacks if and when such an opportunity or such a process might occur.

MS. BODNAR: The head of the inspectors, Mr. Hans Blix, is saying that there is new technology that the inspectors have.

MS. BOSCH: Well, the technology issue may be overrated in some areas. Yes, there is an upgrade of some capabilities of what they had before, and there will be some technologies that will be helpful, but the important role for the inspectors is to get a sense, when they speak to scientists and professionals and the Iraqi regime officials, to get a sense -- and it's somewhat a sixth sense as well as common sense that you hear Hans Blix talk about -- that is required to get a feel for the degree to which the Iraqis are complying.

MS. BODNAR: What if weapons inspectors find that Iraq has failed to cooperate with their work; they just have, what, 60 days to report it to the Security Council?

MS. BOSCH: Right. Well, in fact, even before the 60 days, the resolution has stated several steps, and put into place a process where, if there is an act of interference or a false statement or an omission made on the declaration, that a member state, or Hans Blix, head of UNMOVIC, or even Mohamed El-Baradei, head of I-A-E-A, can submit a report about this obstruction or interference to the Security Council.

And within the resolution, there is a process whereby immediately the Security Council has to convene upon receipt of such a report. So, that is an important question you raised. And the resolution has tried to address that, in that the Security Council must meet, and then they decide on what to do.

HOST: Olivia Bosch is a former weapons inspector in Iraq. She spoke with V-O-A's Pat Bodnar from her office in London.

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