Chief UN weapons inspector Mr Hans Blix demanded last night that Iraq begin by March 1st to destroy its Al-Samoud 2 missiles, along with their engines and warheads, in a key test of Iraq's willingness to comply with UN demands.
Destruction of the missiles would be a blow to Iraq as it prepares for a possible invasion by US forces. If it does not destroy them, the United States and Britain would use this as proof that Iraq was not cooperating with the United Nations and that war was justified.
"The appropriate arrangements should be made so that the destruction process can commence by March 1st, 2003," Mr Blix said in a letter, obtained by Reuters, to Amir al-Saadi, a senior adviser to President Saddam Hussein.
The letter, distributed to Security Council members, said an expert panel Blix organized had concluded that the Al-Samoud 2 missiles exceeded by 33 km the 150 km range set by the UN Security Council in a 1991 resolution.
Mr Blix said Iraq had to destroy not only the missiles, but their engines, auto-pilots and guidance and control systems, launchers, fuel, oxidizer, casting chambers, equipment and components designed for their production and testing as well as software and research used to construct the missiles.
He did not say how long Iraq should take to destroy the equipment. However, the deadline he gave would allow him to report to the Security Council early next month on whether Iraq has complied and have an impact on a US-British quest for a UN resolution authorizing war.
AFP