IAEA Media Advisory
IAEA Media Advisory 2003/2802 (28 February 2003)
News Update on Iraq Inspections
UNMOVIC IAEA Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq, 28 February 2003
For full coverage, see the pages on IAEA and Iraq.
28 February 2003 -- An UNMOVIC biological team returned to the Al Aziziyah Airfield and Firing Range and observed further digging in search of R-400 aerial bombs and bomb fragments that Iraq claims were filled with biological agents. Additional fragments of R-400 bombs were identified. Another biological team conducted an inspection of the Mesopotania State Company for Seeds at the Djerf al Naddaf site in southeast Baghdad.
An UNMOVIC missile team traveled to the Al Harith Missile Maintenance Workshop, where missile maintenance and repairs on air defense missile systems are performed. The purpose of the inspection was to apply tags to the missiles, which had undergone maintenance, and to remove tags from the missiles scheduled for maintenance.
One IAEA team conducted a car-borne radiation survey in an area 10km north of Baghdad.
Transcript of UN Radio with UNMOVIC/IAEA Spokesman Hiro Ueki in Baghdad, 28 February 2003
Question: Iraq has said that it would start destroying
Al Samoud 2 missiles by tomorrow. What can you tell us about this?
Spokesman: Yesterday, UNMOVIC received a letter from
Iraq indicating that they agree in principle to the UNMOVIC request
to start destroying the Al Samoud 2 missiles and other associated
items by the first of March. There is going to be a technical discussion
in Baghdad tomorrow morning between Iraq and UNMOVIC. The Deputy
Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC, Demetrius Perricos will head the
UN team and following the technical discussions, the destruction
of the Al Samoud 2 missile system could commence, possibly in the
afternoon.
Question: And what is going to be destroyed? The war
heads, the missiles, and I heard on BBC that they were also talking
about the factory where these missiles are produced. Can you tell
us a little bit about that?
Spokesman: In his letter of the 21st of February,
Chairman Blix indicated that Al Samoud 2 missiles and associated
items are considered proscribed, and he listed a number of items,
including all Al Samoud 2 missiles and war heads, fuel and oxidizer,
the SA2 missile engines imported illegally - now we are talking
about 380 such engines and all engine components associated with
this SA2 engine, and so forth. So it involved a number of items
that need to be destroyed.
Question: What is going to be the role of the UN inspectors
in this destruction of these missiles?
Spokesman: UN inspectors will guide and supervise
the destruction of Al Samoud 2 missiles and its components and associated
systems. I must add that the technical discussions tomorrow morning
will touch on the procedure as well as possibly timetable for the
destruction of those proscribed items.
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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Division of Public Information
[43-1] 2600-21270
m.vidricaire@iaea.org
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[43-1] 2600-21275
[43] 699-165-21275 (mobile)
m.fleming@iaea.org
NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit the IAEA's Press Section, or call the IAEA's Division of Public Information at (431) 2600-21270.