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UNMOVIC IAEA Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq

1 March

The destruction of the proscribed Al Samoud 2 missiles, related components and systems began at Al Taji this afternoon. UNMOVIC supervised the destruction work. During the technical talks between UNMOVIC and Iraq this morning, the method of destruction, a timetable and other work plans were agreed on.

[Addition: Four Al Samoud 2 missiles and one casting chamber were destroyed today.]

Last evening, UNMOVIC conducted two private interviews, one with a biological scientist and the other with an engineer.

A technical meeting between UNMOVIC and Iraqi officials will take place tomorrow to discuss Iraq's proposals for the quantitative verification of VX and anthrax that Iraq declared it had unilaterally destroyed at specific locations.

With the arrival of additional inspectors in Baghdad this week, we now have about 120 inspectors in Iraq. The IAEA has doubled its inspection force.

The twelfth quarterly report of UNMOVIC was submitted to the Security Council yesterday. The report covers UNMOVIC activities from 1 December 2002 to 28 February 2003. Since the resumption of inspections on 27 November 2002, UNMOVIC has conducted more than 550 inspections covering approximately 350 sites, including 44 new sites. The IAEA has conducted roughly 200 inspections at about 150 locations.

An UNMOVIC biological team returned to the Al Aziziyah Airfield and Firing Range and continued to observe further digging in search of R-400 aerial bombs and bomb fragments that Iraq claims were filled with biological agents. A joint biological and chemical team will sample the content of the intact bombs tomorrow. Another biological team inspected the State Company for Ceramic Industry at Tikrit. A joint UNMOVIC missile and biological team inspected the Al Sahra Airfield, north of Tikrit.

An UNMOVIC chemical team returned to the Al Muthanna site. All 155mm artillery shells, which contained mustard, were prepared for final destruction. A second chemical team visited Falluja III to verify the Iraqi declarations of the site.

An UNMOVIC multidisciplinary team inspected two sites in Baghdad, which are related to the procurement of communications equipment and the collection and analyses of information from different sources.

One IAEA team inspected the Mahmoun Plant of the Al Rashid Company that makes materials used in missile systems. A second team inspected the Qa Qaa State Company, which is an explosives manufacturer. These companies are adjacent to each other about 60 km south of Baghdad. A third IAEA team inspected the Salam Factory located in northern Baghdad. This factory makes electronic components for communications and control systems. A fourth team performed a car-borne radiation survey north of Baghdad.

Hiro Ueki
Spokesman for UNMOVIC and the IAEA in Baghdad