August 29, 2002	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Saani 19,1423

FALLUJA (Iraq), Aug 28: Iraqi officials showed reporters a facility on Wednesday accused in the West of producing chemical and biological arms.

Iraqi officials said the site, near Baghdad, was used for producing pesticides.

The tour coincided with mounting speculation that Washington might be planning a military campaign to topple Iraqi President Saddam Hussein’s government.

Reporters from Western media toured departments of the facility, known as Falluja-3, 80kms west of Baghdad. They were accompanied by Husssam Mohammed Amin, head of the office used for liaison with the UN arms inspectors.

Amin said the plant’s five departments contained basic equipment for the production of pesticides to fight weeds and plant disease.

“Accusations that Iraq has rebuilt the site and started using it for producing chemical and biological agents and weapons are false and groundless,” Amin said.

The plant, built in 1987, was destroyed during the 1991 attack and was rebuilt to produce pesticides. It was destroyed again in Dec 1998 and was rebuilt once more, Amin added.—Reuters