IK/155
SC/5738
8 November 1993
SPECIAL COMMISSION COMPLETES LARGEST, MOST COMPLEX INSPECTION OF IRAQ
Twenty-Eight Locations Visited from 30 September to 27 October
The following was issued today by the Special Commission set up under
Security Council resolution 687 (1991) in connection with the disposal of
Iraq's weapons of mass destruction:
Nikita Smidovich, Chief Inspector for the Special Commission, returned to
New York this weekend after leading the largest and most complex inspection
yet conducted in Iraq in search of banned weapons. The inspection team,
numbered UNSCOM 63, searched for evidence of hidden weapons, primarily
ballistic missiles and chemical weapons, banned under the terms of the
cease-fire resolution 687 (1991).
The team's task was to investigate information made available to the
Special Commission concerning possible caches of banned weapons and to verify
Iraqi declarations on certain relevant activities. Inspection activities were
conducted over the period 30 September to 27 October 1993 and 28 locations
were visited. Those sites were concentrated in central, northern and western
Iraq. The team was comprised of 85 inspectors from 9 countries.
To enhance the efficacy of the inspection, the team utilized new
technologies and methodologies. New equipment included ground penetrating
radar, mounted on specially adapted helicopters, to survey sites for
underground cavities or concealed items. All potential areas of interest
identified by the radar were immediately examined in detail by pre-positioned
teams on the ground. The UNSCOM 63 also employed helicopter-mounted,
forward-looking infrared radar to assist in the securing of sites to be
inspected overnight. This was the first time UNSCOM has used night aerial
surveillance. The effective use of these new sensors required the
introduction of innovative inspection techniques and closely coordinated
ground and air assets.
During the course of the inspection, no items prohibited under the terms
of section C of resolution 687 (1991) were found.
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