Statement by Spokesman of Ministry of
Foreign Affairs on Inspection Activities

IRAQI MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

March 17, 2003

1. UNMOVIC Joint Inspection Team:

The team, headed by Mr. Jose (Chili), set out of the Canal Hotel at 9:00 a.m., and arrived at one of the battalions of Air Defense at Al-Adil area in Baghdad. It inquired about the number of marked missiles. In addition, the team made a tour in which it watched some of the damaged missiles. The visit lasted forty-five minutes after which the team returned to the hotel.

2. Missile Inspection Team:

A. Group I: The group, headed by Mr. François (French), set out of the Canal Hotel at 8:30 a.m., and arrived at the site of the Technical Battalion at Al-Taji area. The group watched the destruction process of two Al-Simoud /2 missiles and five warheads. The visit lasted three hours, and then the group returned to the hotel.

B. Group II: The group, headed by Mr. Jack (French), set out of the Canal Hotel at 8:30 a.m., and arrived at Ibn Al-Haithum Factory, which belongs to Al-Karama Company. The group videotaped some of the parts of Al-Hussein Missiles that had been destroyed in 1991. The visit lasted three hours and forty-five minutes, and then the group returned to the hotel.

C. Group III: The group, headed by Mr. Gustavo (Argentinean), set out of the Canal Hotel at 8:30 a.m., and arrived at Al-Karama State Company at Al-Waziriyya. The group checked out the process of deleting the computer files of Al-Simoud /2 missile, collected all the outlines of the missile, and burned them. It also visited the building of Engineering Department. The visit took almost an hour and a half after which the group returned to the Hotel.

3. UNMOVIC Inspection Team (Biological):

The team, headed by Mr. Michael Philip, set out of the Canal Hotel at 8:30 a.m., and arrived at Tikrit Company for Dairies in Tikrit city (a private sector). The team inquired about the Company, its staff, the kinds of bacteria used in producing dairies, and the examinations of final production. The visit lasted two hours, and then the team returned to the hotel.

4.  UNMOVIC Inspection Team (Chemical):

The team, headed by Mr. Park (Polish), set out of the Canal Hotel at 8:30 a.m., and arrived at Ibn Sina State Company, which belongs to Military Industrialization Commission. The team visited all the facilities of the Company and used a device of analyzing minerals by X-rays. The visit lasted four hours after which the team returned to the hotel.

5. UNMOVIC Joint Inspection Team in Mosul:

The team, headed by Mr. Deter Rotbacher (German), set out of Nineveh Palace Hotel at 8:30 a.m., and arrived at the Iraqi National Union of Students, Mosul Branch. It asked the person in charge of the Union some questions, and then inspected the building of the Union. The visit tool nearly an hour after which the team returned to the hotel.

6. The Mirage Plane:

The reconnaissance mirage /4 entered the Iraqi air space at 10:15 a.m., and made a reconnaissance operation for many Iraqi areas. It left the air space at 11: 45 a.m. Reconnaissance operation lasted an hour and a half.