BAGHDAD, March 9: Iraq said it would respond as quickly as possible to a letter on Sunday from the UN inspection regime listing unanswered questions over its disarmament process.
“We received the report of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) a few hours ago and have not had time to read it yet,” Hossam Mohamed Amin, who heads the Iraqi body liaising with the UN inspectors, told a news conference.
He said the report was believed to contain “outstanding issues, from the point of view of UNMOVIC, about old (weapons) programmes in the biological, chemical and ballistics fields.
“We will cooperate with UNMOVIC to resolve these questions as quickly as possible,” he added.
US PERSISTENT: He said Iraq believed the United States was determined to wage a war despite all Baghdad’s efforts to disarm.
Asked if Iraq thought the United States would attack regardless of progress on disarmament, Hossam Mohammed Amin said: “Yes, but we believe that the situation can be enhanced by some countries at the Security Council and the people.”
“We are preparing ourselves for war, and at the same time we are working with UNMOVIC and the IAEA,” Mr Amin added.
The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency are the bodies charged with investigating Iraq’s alleged programme of weapons of mass destruction.
Mr Amin insisted earlier in the press conference that more than three months of inspections had proved that Iraq did not possess such weapons. —AFP
