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Tracking Inspections: 27 January 2003

A team of three International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors visited the Al-Sumoud State Company (a.k.a. Al-Sumud Industrial Manufacturing Plant). Located 35 kilometers north of Baghdad in Taji. Inspectors questioned the director-general on the company's ownership, the "number and kinds of operative ovens in the foundry, and the types of productive steel foundries," the Iraqi Foreign Ministry stated. Inspectors also visited the heavy foundry, a mechanical workshop, a "workshop for manufacturing templates," and a raw material storage area.

A second team of three IAEA inspectors carried out radiation testing in the area around Al-Tarmiya, the ministry noted.

A third team of five IAEA inspectors went to the Al-Amiriyah Stores (a.k.a. Al-Kindi Research and Development Company) belonging to the Al-Kindi State Company, owned by the Military Industrial Organization (MIO), located at Al-Sahil Al-Ayser in Mosul. Inspectors verified quantities of the explosive HMX and sealed the room in which it is stored. They also checked the quantity of the explosive material RDX.

Inspectors then proceeded to the Baiji Refinery (a.k.a. North Refining Company) to examine the Liquid Nitrogen Unit there. They then proceeded to the Al-Jazeera Refinery, which is no longer in operation, to take "smear samples from the soil and refinery tubes," the ministry noted. Inspectors also checked for radiation.

The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) did not provide details on the four above-mentioned inspections in its daily briefing.

A team of eight missile inspectors returned to the Al-Rafah Liquid Engine Test Facility belonging to the Al-Karamah State Company (MIO) located in Amiriyat al-Falluja. Inspectors witnessed a static test of the Al-Sumud missile engine, according to UNMOVIC.

Nineteen missile inspectors flew to the Al-Zubayr Naval Complex, located approximately 300 kilometers south of Baghdad in Al-Rafidhiya, Basra. Inspectors asked about activities there, and checked the tags on navy missiles. They also visited the ammunition stores at the complex, according to the Foreign Ministry. UNMOVIC noted in its briefing that chemical inspectors joined the missile team during the inspection.

A team of seven chemical inspectors visited the Al-Amiriyah Stores (a.k.a. Al-Majd Center) belonging to the Al-Majd State Company (MIO) in Al-Amiriyah, Baghdad. Inspectors questioned "specialists" about the site, as well as the number of workers and engineers, and materials stored there, before checking the site against Iraqi declarations. UNMOVIC stated: "This facility is principally a store but also produces simple equipment with simple machine tools [on] the side. The team used a metal analyzer to check sheets of alloy at the site."

The Foreign Ministry noted that UNMOVIC had requested an interview with an Iraqi scientist. "The [scientist] did not refuse to hold the interview, but he requested the presence of one of his friends as a witness...UNMOVIC refused to hold the interview after its members tried to persuade him to hold the interview alone," the ministry stated.

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