Ten Questions Iraq Must Answer - UK Govt

TEN QUESTIONS IRAQ MUST ANSWER

1. Co-operation

Blix: "Co-operation might be said to relate to both substance and process. It would appear from our experience so far that Iraq has decided in principle to provide co-operation on process, notably access. A similar decision is indispensable to provide co-operation on substance in order to bring the disarmament tasks to completion through the peaceful process of inspection and to bring the monitoring task on a firm course."

Will Iraq now provide co-operation on substance?

2. U2 Plane

Blix: "Iraq has refused to guarantee its safety, unless a number of conditions are fulfilled... we note that Iraq is not so far complying with our request."

Will Iraq now agree to U2 flights on UN terms?

3. Harassment

Blix: "I am obliged to note some disturbing incidents..."

Will Iraq now end all harassment of inspectors?

4. VX*

Blix: "There are indications that Iraq had worked on the problem of purity and stabilisation and that more had been achieved than has been declared. Indeed, even one of the documents provided by Iraq indicates that the purity of the agent, at least in laboratory production, was higher than declared.

"There are also indications that the agent was weaponised".

Will Iraq now either provide evidence of the destruction of its VX or co-operate fully with its destruction?

5. Chemical Bombs and Rockets

Blix: "The document indicates that 13,000 chemical bombs were dropped by the Iraqi Air Force between 1983 and 1988, while Iraq has declared that 19,500 bombs were consumed during this period. Thus, there is a discrepancy of 6,500 bombs.

"The amount of chemical agent in these bombs would be in the order of about 1,000 tonnes. In the absence of evidence to the contrary, we must assume that these quantities are now unaccounted for.

"The discovery of a number of 122 mm chemical rocket warheads in a bunker at a storage depot 170 km southwest of Baghdad was much publicised. This was a relatively new bunker and therefore the rockets must have been moved there in the past few years, at a time when Iraq should not have had such munitions.

"They could also be the tip of a submerged iceberg."

Will Iraq now account for all its chemical bombs and rockets?

6. Mustard Gas**

Blix: "Inspectors have found at another site a laboratory quantity of Thiodiglycol, a mustard gas precursor."

Will Iraq now credibly explain the purpose of this precursor chemical?

7. Anthrax***

Blix: "There are strong indications that Iraq produced more anthrax than it declared (8,500 litres), and that at least some of this was retained after the declared destruction date. It might still exist.

"Iraq did not declare a significant quantity, some 650 kg, of bacterial growth media, which was acknowledged as imported in Iraq's submission to the Amorim panel in February 1999.

"I note that the quantity of media involved would suffice to produce, for example, about 5,000 litres of concentrated anthrax."

Will Iraq now provide the evidence that it destroyed its anthrax or co-operate fully with its destruction?

8. Missiles

Blix: "There has been a range of developments in the missile field during the past four years presented by Iraq as non-proscribed activities.

"They are the development of a liquid-fuelled missile named the Al Samoud 2, and a solid propellant missile, called the Al Fatah

"These missiles might well represent prima facie cases of proscribed systems. The test ranges in excess of 150 km are significant."

Will Iraq now account for the extended range of its missiles? .

9. Documents

Blix: "The recent inspection find in the private home of a scientist of a box of some 3,000 pages of documents, much of it relating to the laser enrichment of uranium support a concern that has long existed that documents might be distributed to the homes of private individuals.

"We cannot help but think that the case might not be isolated and that such placements of documents is deliberate to make discovery difficult and to seek to shield documents by placing them in private homes.

"Any further sign of the concealment of documents would be serious."

Will Iraq now produce all documents from their places of hiding?

10. Interviews

Blix: "To date, 11 individuals were asked for interviews in Baghdad by us.

"The replies have invariably been that the individual will only speak at Iraq's monitoring directorate or, at any rate, in the presence of an Iraqi official. This could be due to a wish on the part of the invited to have evidence that they have not said anything that the authorities did not wish them to say. At our recent talks in Baghdad, the Iraqi side committed itself to encourage persons to accept interviews "in private", that is to say alone with us. Despite this, the pattern has not changed."

Will Iraq now actively provide interviews on UN terms?

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*VX

VX is a pale yellow or brown liquid that attacks the nervous system mainly by skin contact but also by inhalation.

The effects

These include chest tightness, blurred vision, headaches, weakness, vomiting, nausea, diarrhoea, incontinence, breathing difficulties, collapse, convulsions, paralysis and death.

**Mustard

Mustard is a potent blister agent. It is highly reactive and attacks the skin, eyes, lungs and gastro-intestinal tract.

The effects

The major effects are irritation of the skin followed by the development of painful blisters that rupture leaving chemical burns that heal very slowly.

If inhaled, mustard damages the respiratory tract and lungs resulting in the build up of fluid in the lungs, making breathing difficult.

Deaths due to initial exposure to mustard are low but the injuries inflicted require significant medical care and often long periods of recuperation, much longer than for thermal burns, and perhaps plastic surgery.

***Anthrax

Anthrax is a naturally occurring bacterium found as spores in the soil. It is endemic in large areas of the world, including the Middle East and normally causes disease in grazing animals, such as cows and horses but it can infect other animals and humans. If spread into the air, using a weapon, it becomes more effective.

The effects

Inhalation of anthrax bacteria results in a severe pneumonia-like illness.

Death occurs in 1-5 days and is the result of systemic poisoning - poisoning of all of the internal organs and blood stream at the same time.

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