Press Statement on Inspection Activities in Iraq

UNMOVIC/IAEA

February 22, 2003

Three UNMOVIC missiles teams performed three separate inspections. One team inventoried Al Samoud 2 components and sub-assemblies at Ibn Al Haytahm that carries out the final assembly of the Al Samoud 2 missile. A second team inspected the remains of a liquid engine propellant test stand and placed tags on two pieces of manufacturing equipment. A third team inspected Al Nasser, which is a large production facility involved in the production of components for the Al Samoud 2 missile.

An UNMOVIC multidisciplinary team inspected the Iraqi Army’s Liquid Propellant Analytical Laboratory situated in west Baghdad. The facility performs validation and control analyses of rocket and missile fuel used in air defense.

An UNMOVIC biological team visited two sites in the Baghdad area, one a research centre and the other a testing laboratory, to observe the destruction of a relatively small amount of out of date bacterial growth media previously monitored by the UN Special Commission (UNSCOM). This action was taken, following a formal request from the sites transmitted through the Iraqi National Monitoring Directorate.

One IAEA team conducted a car-borne radiation survey in the area of the Yarmouk GE Site approximately 40km west of Baghdad. A second IAEA team inspected the Al Kadessiya General Establishment 35km south of Baghdad. A third IAEA team inspected the Al Nahrawan munitions factory, 25km east of Baghdad. Hiro Ueki Spokesman for UNMOVIC and the IAEA in Baghdad