Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq

UNMOVIC/IAEA

January 30, 2003

UNMOVIC sought two more private interviews today. In both cases, the Iraqi individuals requested to be interviewed in private showed up with a person at the agreed hotel and insisted on having the individual with them during an interview. Consequently, no private interviews took place.

Two UNMOVIC biological teams inspected distilleries in the area about 30 km northeast of Baghdad: the Al Tharthar Distillery and the Al Awaaly Distillery. Both are privately owned facilities, which produce Arak, gin and whiskey. A third biological team inspected an infectious diseases diagnostic laboratory located in the Central Public Health laboratories building in central Baghdad.

An UNMOVIC chemical team went by helicopter to inspect the State Company for Petrochemicals Industry in Basra. This facility is primarily involved in the production of chlorine and polymers.

Two IAEA teams conducted inspections in Iraq on January 30th. One team performed an inspection at the 17th April Facility in Baghdad. The facility produces precision castings for industrial purposes. A second team performed a motorized radiation survey in areas south east of Baghdad.

Air sampling equipment has been installed by the IAEA and is operating on the roof of the Canal Hotel, the operations base for IAEA inspections in Iraq. This is the initial step in the re-installation of both fixed and mobile air samplers as part of wide-area environmental monitoring in Iraq.