Today, we have received from the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate a list of names of personnel associated with Iraq's chemical, biological, nuclear, and ballistic missile programmes. The list contains over 500 names in the chemical, biological, nuclear and missile areas. The Executive Chairman of UNMOVIC, Dr. Hans Blix, requested such a list in his letter of 12 December addressed to General Amir Al-Saadi, exercising the right granted to UNMOVIC by Security Council Resolution 1441.
I wish to clarify my press statement on the IAEA's second interview yesterday. The IAEA team, who interviewed an Iraqi metallurgist, Dr. Kathem Mujbel, was aware that he was not involved in Iraq's past nuclear programme. His statement about non-classified information was of interest to the Agency. My press statement does not make a judgment that Iraq has a clandestine nuclear programme. It only makes a general statement about the fact that the matter in question, which involves aluminium tubes, attracted attention. The IAEA's interviews are part of its investigations to answer the question of whether nuclear-related activities have taken place during the past four years without inspectors. The Agency's progress report will be submitted to the Security Council in the course of January.
With the arrival of one more UNMOVIC inspector yesterday, we now have a total of 105 inspectors from UNMOVIC and the IAEA. The breakdown is 99 inspectors from UNMOVIC and 6 from the IAEA.
Three additional helicopters were airlifted to Baghdad on Tuesday, 24 December. These were MI8-MTV helicopters. They were assembled at the Saddam International Airport and then flew to the Al Rasheed air base yesterday. Our helicopter crews are now conducting training flights.
Today's inspections:
An UNMOVIC multidisciplinary team carried out an inspection of the Hadre Air Force Munitions Test Site, located close to Mosul.
An UNMOVIC biological team inspected the National Food Industries Co. (Yaffa Juice Plant), located in Zafaraniyah industrial area of Baghdad. This company is self-financed and has a mixed ownership. It is a previously declared and monitored site, due to the presence of some dual-use equipment. Another biological team returned to the Al Kindi Veterinary Vaccines site as a follow-up to the previous inspection carried out on 22 December. This site also has monitoring cameras that were installed by the UN Special Commission.
An UNMOVIC team of missile inspectors inspected the Al Qaib Warhead-Filling Factory of the Al Qa Qaa complex. This site undertakes filling of warheads of Al Samoud and Al Fatah missiles.
An UNMOVIC chemical team, supported by several members of the missile and biological teams, inspected the Ibn Younis Centre, which is a mechanical design establishment in Baghdad. The site is located within a larger compound occupied by other companies and institutions: Ibn Rasheed Company (maintenance of fire-fighting equipment, water analyses and quality control of construction materials); General Automobile Company, SCANIA; Aria Center (a mechanical repair facility established in 1999), and a regional Bath Party office. All sites were inspected.
The IAEA inspected the offices of a private trading company that handles procurement matters for the Military Industrial Corporation of Iraq. The IAEA specialists were able to review many files concerning procurements and offers from abroad. An IAEA team also went to the last known address of another private trading company. The building used to house many offices but the whole building is now abandoned.
Hiro Ueki,
Spokesman for UNMOVIC and the IAEA in Baghdad