VIENNA, Dec 13: UN nuclear inspectors may use their authority to question Iraqi scientists outside their country, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohamed ElBaradei said Friday.

ElBaradei told a press conference at IAEA headquarters in Vienna that since the new UN resolution for inspections in Iraq authorizes taking people abroad for interviews, “if there is a need” for this “we will not hesitate to use that authority.”

The United States is among countries arguing it is necessary to get Iraqi scientists out of their country in order for them to feel safe enough to give information on Baghdad’s alleged hiding of weapons of mass destruction.

The IAEA monitors nuclear programmes while the New-York-based UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), headed by Hans Blix, looks for chemical and biological weapons, as well as ballistic missile programmes.

“We know pretty much all the scientists that have been involved in the nuclear programme. We will probably try to update that list in the next few weeks,” ElBaradei said.

He said there was a possibility that some scientists “would feel more comfortable being interviewed outside Iraq.”

“But we need to work out a number of practical arrangements — to find Iraqi scientists who are willing to be interviewed abroad, who have the proper knowledge and we need obviously to assure they have a residence abroad for them and their families,” the IAEA chief said.

He said that once these preconditions had been met, “we will obviously make use of this facility if it is pertinent to our investigation activities.”

ElBaradei also said that most of the material supplied by Iraq on nuclear programmes is old and the new material is not related to weapons development.

“The new part is 300 pages in Arabic” that covers activities from 1991-2002, ElBaradei said.

“Iraq has concluded they have not been involved in any weapons of mass destruction-related activity. Of course we have to verify that statement and we are far from reaching a conclusion on that matter. We have to do an inspection in the field,” ElBaradei said.

“The process will take time but (...) if successful, this is the best way to ensuring that Iraq disarms and it is also the process that if successful could spare innocent lives.”

HE SAID: “There is some new additional information we are going through right now.”—AFP