Iraq to submit proposal for destroying toxin weapons

Iraq today said it will submit a proposal to UN weapons inspectors for verifying the destruction of its deadly biological and chemical weapons.

Inspectors’ spokesman Hiro Ueki said the Iraqis would give details in about a week of how it will verify that it has unilaterally destroyed anthrax stores and about 1.5 tons of VX, a deadly nerve agent.

Saddam Hussein’s scientific adviser, Lieutenant General Amer al-Saadi, said Iraq wanted to use DNA testing to help determine the characteristics of the destroyed anthrax.

The inspectors today returned to a military base where they have been overseeing the destruction of Iraq’s banned Al Samoud 2 missiles.

It was unclear whether more missiles were scheduled for destruction today. Iraq crushed four missiles on Saturday and another six yesterday.

They also destroyed two casting chambers used to make engines for another kind of missile, the Al Fatah.