IAEA Media Advisory
Media Advisory 2002/1712 (17 December 2002)
News Update on Iraq Inspections
UNMOVIC/IAEA Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq, 17 December 2002
For full coverage, see the pages on IAEA and Iraq.
17 December 2002 -- One UNMOVIC biological team inspected the Department of Biotechnology-College of Sciences at Baghdad University at Al-Jadiriyia in Baghdad. The University is a State-run institution and under the Ministry of Education. This site was previously declared and monitored. The Department carries out basic research and teaching for Master's and Doctoral degree students.
Another biological team headed for Mosul to inspect previously declared biological sites in the region.
Two UNMOVIC teams of missile inspectors visited separate locations involved in missile activity. One team visited the Oxidiser Production plant, which is located about 50 km northwest of Baghdad. The plant is owned by the Ministry of Industry and Minerals. It comprises a small plant engaged in the production of fuel and oxidizer for missiles, such as the Volga/SA-2 and the Al Samood.
The second team inspected the Al-Almeen Factory, located 124 km southwest of Baghdad. The Factory produces the motor cases and nozzle housings for the Al-Fet'h and the Al-Abour Missiles. The Factory employs 165 people.
The UNMOVIC chemical team inspected the Falluja II site.
One IAEA team inspected two sites in Baghdad: the Radwan Factory and the Iraqi Plant. Both are previously declared sites. The rest of the IAEA team left in the direction of Mosul this morning. I cannot confirm their inspection sites until I receive their reports.
Today, an additional 8 inspectors from UNMOVIC arrived in Baghdad, bringing the total number of UNMOVIC inspectors to 94. The IAEA has 19 inspectors. The grand total of inspectors from UNMOVIC and the IAEA now stands at 113.
Hiro Ueki
Spokesman for UNMOVIC and the IAEA in Baghdad
About the IAEA
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) serves as the world's foremost intergovernmental forum for scientific and technical co-operation in the peaceful use of nuclear technology. Established as an autonomous organization under the United Nations (UN) in 1957, the IAEA carries out programmes to maximize the useful contribution of nuclear technology to society while verifying its peaceful use.
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