Excerpts from previous political updates, by subject:

1-29-03

Iraqi scientists

When he turned in the Iraqi report, Iraqi General Amir Saadi admitted that it offered no new evidence that Iraq had destroyed all its chemical and biological weapons but he challenged the United States to come up with evidence to the contrary. He was also cited as saying that Iraq would not object if the inspectors decided to take Iraqi scientists outside the country for questioning, a step authorized by U.N. Resolution 1441.

Accordingly, the United States pushed Blix to ask Iraq for a list of the scientists, past and present, linked to its mass destruction weapon programs. The White House also asked the State and Defense Departments and the CIA to draft plans for spiriting scientists out of Iraq. Under this U.S. pressure, Iraq provided a list in December that contained some 500 names. In mid- January, however, Blix and El Baradei said that the list of scientists provided by Iraq was incomplete and that Iraq had not "made a serious effort to respond to the request" for names. And in his January 27 report to the Security Council, Blix put a number on the scientists missing from Iraq's list: about 3,000 names. According to Blix, Iraq provided only 400 names (plus 80 names added later), "compared to over 3,500 names" known to inspectors, either from past interviews or from "documents and other sources."

How Blix and El Baradei will use the list remains unclear. Their teams have begun to interview scientists, but have so far not done so outside Iraq or in meetings without Iraqi "minders" present. The inspectors reportedly have been in discussions with the U.S. government to seek guaranteed asylum for any scientists and families who do leave Iraq. Under such a guarantee, Blix has indicated that remote interviews are "an option," and El Baradei said "we will do it." While Iraq has said it will not interfere with this right, the Iraqi government has emphasized that there is no need for the scientists to leave and called it a personal decision for the scientists. So far, none have volunteered, and most have asked that Iraqi minders be present during interviews. In the meantime, the U.S. administration reportedly gave the inspectors a blueprint for interviewing Iraqi scientists outside the country.