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Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Tracking Inspections: 7 DECEMBER 2002

A team of 15 inspectors visited the Al-Quds State Company, located in Al-Iskandariyah, approximately 50 kilometers south of Baghdad. The company belongs to the Iraqi Military Industrialization Organization, Iraqi Television reported, citing a Foreign Ministry statement. The company was established in 2002 and conducts "research on mechanical designs," according to the report. The Foreign Ministry added that the team questioned the director general of the company and "inspected all buildings and laboratories at the site."

Meanwhile, a team of four inspectors visited the Al-Shaykhali warehouses in Al-Tuwaythah, which are owned by the Atomic Energy Organization. According to a statement by the Foreign Ministry, the warehouses "contain equipment, machinery, and raw materials that are under permanent monitoring and sealed by the IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency)." According to the IAEA, an inventory was taken and will be "reconciled with the IAEA's database on equipment and material, and changes described in the Iraqi biannual declaration of 1 October 2002."

UNMOVIC noted in a 7 December press release that "the Government of Iraq handed over to UNMOVIC and the IAEA at the Baghdad Ongoing Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Center (BOMVIC) documents and CD-ROMs containing Iraq's declaration pursuant to paragraph 3 of Security Council resolution 1441 (2002). The handover took place at the Canal Hotel, which houses BOMVIC. The declaration will be transmitted expeditiously to the United Nations Headquarters in New York and the IAEA Headquarters in Vienna. BOMVIC is the operations base of UNMOVIC and the IAEA in Iraq."

Copyright (c) 2003. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org



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