Gulf War II: Iraq 2003
Weapons Inspectors reports
On January 27 2003 Hans Blix, UNMOVIC Chief Weapons Inspector,
delivered a report on Iraq's compliance to date. The report
stated that Iraq 'has on the whole cooperated rather well so far with
UNMOVIC in this field'. However, Blix also indicated there were still
some problems with cooperation in relation to air operations and mild levels
of harassment which had obstructed the inspection process.
The international community was divided in its response to
the report. While France and Russia claimed it indicated that progress
was being made, the US and its supporters interpreted it as clear evidence
that Iraq was in defiance of resolution 1441. George Bush in his State
of the Union Address on 28 February summed up the US position when
the President said, 'The dictator of Iraq is not disarming. To the contrary,
he is deceiving'.
The US promised that it would present definite evidence of
Iraqi defiance of the Security Councils demands to disarm. In his address
to the Security Council Powell presented
as evidence against Iraq recorded conversations, satellite images, intercepts
of Iraqi military officers discussions, and an assertion that Saddam Hussein
had barred Iraqi scientists from talking to UN inspectors. Powell also
gave detailed allegations of possible links between Iraq and al Qaeda.
UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said that the weapons inspectors would
study the information presented and pursue the links they were given.
The Blix
report presented on 14 February to the U.N. Security Council reported that
inspectors found no banned chemical, biological or nuclear weapons in Iraq,
however, Hans Blix said 'there are continuing doubts about Iraqi's intentions
to disarm. More cooperation from Iraq, he said, would 'speed up the inspectors
work.'
In his report
presented on 7 March, Hans Blix stated that 'after a period of somewhat
reluctant cooperation, there had been an acceleration of initiatives by
Iraq since the end of January, including an acceptance that its Al-Samoud
2 missiles must be destroyed'. Dr Blix also said that inspectors needed
more time to verify Iraqs compliance.
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