Iraq showing signs of co-operation, says Blix

IN a new sign of Iraqi co-operation with UN arms inspectors, Baghdad yesterday disclosed it had found documents relating to the disposal of weapons of mass destruction in 1991 and to an R-400 bomb, chief inspector Hans Blix said yesterday.

The R-400 bomb contained liquid and was found in an area where Baghdad was known to have disposed of biological agents in the past, Blix told reporters.

He said the disclosures were positive and needed to be explored further. They came in a series of six letters sent to his UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) in the past three days.

The inspectors have been charged with investigating Iraq’s claims that it has eliminated any weapons of mass destruction programs it had. The claims are dismissed as lies by Washington, which is preparing a possible invasion of Iraq, saying it has failed to comply with UN demands.

After denying in 1991 that it had any biological warfare program, Iraq admitted in 1995 it had produced 155 R-400 bombs that were filled with biological agents, including anthrax spores. It said that during the 1991 Gulf War the bombs were buried at two locations, one along the Euphrates River.

Blix has ordered Saddam Hussein, to begin destroying dozens of Al-Samoud 2 missiles by Saturday as their range exceeds a 150-km (90-mile) limit set by the UN after the Gulf War.