March 19, 2003	Wednesday	Muharram 15, 1424

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UNITED NATIONS, March 18: Sticking to a timetable superseded by moves to war, Security Council members on Tuesday studied a report by chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix asking them to approve 12 key disarmament tasks for Iraq.

The report contained the proposed work programme of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC).

Mr Blix was expected to present it formally on Wednesday at a meeting attended by the foreign ministers of at least seven of the 15 council members including three leading critics of US preparations to disarm Iraq by force.

US officials say Secretary of State Colin Powell does not plan to attend.

Almost all the inspectors had left Iraq by Tuesday, ordered by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan not to stay under the threat of an imminent US-led invasion.

Council Resolution 1284, which set up UNMOVIC three years ago, required Blix to submit the programme within 60 days of starting work in Iraq.

An advance team arrived on Nov 27 but spent two months mostly setting up new equipment, and Blix took Jan 27 as his formal starting date.

France and Germany asked him to submit his work programme a few days early, in the hope of bolstering their case for disarming Iraq through inspections.

The report comprised a 10-page summary, a 12-page annex setting out what is required of Iraq to complete each of the tasks and 55 pages of background information.

The tasks covered the three areas under UNMOVIC scrutiny: missiles, chemical and biological weapons.

Four apply to Iraq’s missiles and warheads and one to spray devices and drones; three to chemical weapons, including VX, Sarin and mustard agent; three to biological agents such as anthrax, botulinum toxin and smallpox.

The twelfth task is to declare “any proscribed activities post-1998” including underground or mobile weapons facilities.

Resolution 1284 requires the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohammed ElBaradei, to submit a similar work programme for verifying that Iraq is clean of nuclear weapons.

In his report, Blix noted that “none of the resolutions that govern the work of UNMOVIC lays down a date for the completion of the work.”

He also noted that “the work programme is predicated on the assumption that Iraq will provide immediate, unconditional and active cooperation” — something that is impossible so long as the inspectors are outside the country.

“In selecting the key remaining disarmament tasks, primary importance has been given to the level of danger or threat, the respective weapon or other item would pose, should it exist,” Blix said.—AFP