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Tracking Inspections in Iraq

RFE/L

15 MARCH 2003

      The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) stated that the government of Iraq submitted photographs and videos of Iraq's mobile laboratories.
      UNMOVIC also announced receipt of a letter dated 14 March "containing a document on the destruction of precursors for mustard gas, and a letter dated 15 March containing a report on the estimation of VX degradation products in the soil at the dumpsite."
      UNMOVIC also confirmed that five Bell-212 helicopters were withdrawn from Iraq because the helicopter company's insurer stated it would withdraw coverage from the helicopters if they stayed in Iraq. Three Russian-owned (privately-owned) helicopters remain in Baghdad. The helicopters were flown to Cyprus. UNMOVIC has a field office in Larnaca, Cyprus.
      UNMOVIC noted that UN chemical inspector Yu Jianxing's body was flown from Baghdad to Larnaca on 16 March following a ceremony attended by UNMOVIC and International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) staff and representatives as well as Chinese Ambassador Zhang Weiqiu. Yu was killed in car accident on 13 March during a return trip to Baghdad after inspecting the Al-Nu'maniyah Company for Pickled and Canned Foods. His remains will be transported from Cyprus to China in the coming days, UNMOVIC stated.
      A UNMOVIC missile inspection team returned to the Al-Taji Technical Battalion to oversee the destruction of two Al-Sumud 2 missiles, eight warheads, and six fuel tanks, according to the Foreign Ministry. UNMOVIC stated that inspectors supervised the destruction of two Al-Sumud 2 missiles, "the computer software in a control vehicle to program the missile, and missile parts, such as fuel tanks and warhead shells," adding, "Today's action brings to 70 the total number of Al-Sumud 2 missiles destroyed since 1 March."
      A biological inspection team went to the Technical Institute belonging to the Technical Education Board in Karbala, where inspectors questioned the institute's director about the number of departments in the institute, as well as the number of faculty holding advanced university degrees, the number of students, and the number of laboratories. Inspectors also asked about the institute's activities and its relations to other Iraqi colleges before touring the institute's departments, the Foreign Ministry reported. UNMOVIC stated that the institute is a two-year school that trains people "in the areas of electrical, mechanical, secretarial, management, medicine, and computers."
      The same inspection team went to the Chest and Respiratory Diseases Institute in Karbala, which belongs to the Karbala Medical Center. Inspectors asked the director about the nature of work at the institute, as well as the types of diseases diagnosed there, and the number of patients, before touring the institute's departments, the Foreign Ministry stated. UNMOVIC stated that the clinic is responsible for diagnosing chest diseases "for the entire Karbala Governorate."
      Another team of biological inspectors went to the Al-Aziziyah Airfield and Firing Range to supervise the ongoing excavation of artillery shells at the site and to examine recently-excavated shells and shell fragments, the Foreign Ministry noted. UNMOVIC confirmed the inspection.
      The same team of inspectors also went to the Military Medical Warehouses belonging to the Ministry of Defense to photograph and examine a piece of tagged equipment, according to the Foreign Ministry. UNMOVIC refers to this site as the Al-Rashidiyah Military Stores. It stated that inspectors continued the previous day's inspection at the site.
      A Baghdad-based joint inspection team went to the Al-Habbaniyah Missile Site for Air Defense, belonging to the Ministry of Defense. Inspectors questioned the site commanders about the total number of storages at the site and about the types and quantities of missiles stored there. Some of the storage areas were inspected, the Foreign Ministry noted. UNMOVIC stated that inspectors went to Al-Habbaniyah and Al-Falluja Missile Facility, which stores and repairs different types of missiles.

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