A statement by Spokesman for Ministry of Foreign Affairs on (UNMOVIC),(IAEA) activities

IRAQ MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

January 31, 2003

1- UNMOVIC Inspection Team (Chemical)

A team consisting of (10) inspectors, set out from Al-Qanat Hotel at 8:30a.m, and arrived at the Agriculture Supplies Company which belongs to the Ministry of Agriculture, in Al-wazeria area, Baghdad. The team toured the site from outside, and entered both archives and stores sections, since some civil servants were present in those sections. The inspectors inquired about the quantity of the stock on hand, the sold quantity and the revenues obtained from the herbicides and insecticides used against plant epidemics.

The visit lasted for an hour and forty-five minutes, after which the team went back to Al-Qanat Hotel.

2- UNMOVIC Inspection Team (Missiles)

A team consisting of (4) inspectors, set out from Al-Qanat Hotel at 8:30a.m, and arrived at the Company of 7 Nisan, one of the Military Industrialization Commission’s companies, some (40) kilometers east of Baghdad. The team inspected some of the buildings that contain the machinery and equipment and demanded designs of the fuse used for Al-fath Missile. It demanded to visit some of the Company’s stores which are situated out side the main fence of the Company, but as the keys were not available because Friday is an official holiday, the visit was postponed to a subsequent time.

The visit lasted for 3 hours and ten minutes, after which the team headed back for Al-Qanat Hotel.

3- UNMOVIC Inspection Team (Biological)

At 10:50a.m, two helicopters carrying (6) inspectors took off from Al-rasheed Base, and flew in the direction of Khan Bani Sa’d, dome (30) kilometers east of Baghdad. The helicopters flew over the agriculture airport which belongs to the Plant Protection State Corporation, Ministry of Agriculture. Before reached Ba’quba, the two helicopters separated from each other.

The first helicopter headed for the Tuwaitha area (the Atomic Energy Organization), where it spent (20) minutes videotaping and photographing the area. Then, it headed for Al-Salman site (the cancelled Technical Research Center), where it carried out an operation of reconnaissance and photography for (20) minutes. Finally,it explored a transmitters station in an area near Salman Back district for (10) minutes. Then it went back to Al-rasheed Base.

As for the second helicopter, it headed for the Falluja area (1) and the Falluja area (3) which belong to Tariq State Company, one of the Military Industrialization Commission’s Companies. It flew over the area for (15) minutes, during which it photographed the intersection of the Tigris with the Tharthar lake. Then, the helicopter went back to Al-rasheed Base.

The aerial reconnaissance operation lasted for about an hour and fifty-five minutes.

4- UNMOVIC Inspection Team (Joint)

A team consisting of (11) inspectors, set out from Al-Qanat Hotel at 9:00a.m, and arrived at Al-yarmook State Company, one of the MIC companies, which lies in the Abu Graib area, west of Baghdad. The team held a meeting with one of the concerned persons at the site and asked him about the Company’s sections, its proprietorship, its activity since 1998, kinds of ammunition produced by the Company, name of Director General, whether there is any kind of activity in the Company as it is an official holiday and whether are any computers in the Company. Then, the team toured the facilities of the Company and visited the equipment stores, the chemical laboratory, the gunpowder store, the worn out machinery stores, the primers stores, the shooting field, testing laboratories, the company’s factories and information center.

The visit lasted for (3) hours and (20) minutes, after which the team went back to Al-Qanat Hotel.