IAEA Media Advisory
Media Advisory 2002/1812 (18 December 2002)
News Update on Iraq Inspections
UNMOVIC/IAEA Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq, 18 December 2002
For full coverage, see the pages on IAEA and Iraq.
18 December 2002 -- A multidisicplinary UNMOVIC team carried out an inspection of the Nassr Company for Mechanical Industries. This site is located 46 km to the northwest of Baghdad. The company has three plants: foundry, moulds and steel structures. The site is engaged in the production of steel structures, forging casts, and moulds and fixtures for different industrial uses. All key buildings were inspected and a number of tagged dual-use items of equipment were identified.
Yesterday, the UNMOBIC biological team, which went to the Mosul region, inspected the Ninevah Phamaceuticals Company. It inspected the Mosul Bakery Yeast Factory today. The team returned to Baghdad.
Two UNMOVIC teams of missile inspectors visited separate locations involved in missile activity. One team visited the site of the former Taji Project 144, which is located about 50 km northwest of Baghdad. The site is a location where prohibited missile items were previously excavated and are now stored. The second team traveled approximately 35 km to the southwest of Baghdad, inspecting an area on the Al Saklawiya River, a former destruction area for gyroscope parts. Approximately 3.5 km along both sides of the river were inspected.
One UNMOVIC chemical team inspected Modern Paints Industries, a site located in the southern outskirts of Baghdad. This is a previously inspected site but has not been included in the recent Iraqi declarations. The site comprises several production buildings, stores and supporting facilities, and mainly uses imported chemicals.
One IAEA team continued to inspect facilities in the Mosul region. Another IAEA team inspected three sites in the Baghdad area: Saidiya Specialized Institute for Engineering Industries (SIEI), Hydraulics Factory, and Daura Industrial Engine Factory.
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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[43-1] 2600-21270
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[43-1] 2600-21275
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m.fleming@iaea.org
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