BAGHDAD, March 8: Iraq destroyed six more banned Al-Samoud 2 missiles on Saturday, resuming a process chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix described as Baghdad’s first “substantial disarmament” measure since the mid-1990s.

But after a tense UN Security Council meeting on Friday that saw Britain and the United States set Iraq a March 17 deadline to prove it was disarming, the Iraqi press accused them of leading the world into an “abyss”.

After a pause on Friday, “six more Al-Samoud 2 missiles were destroyed, along with three warheads”, UN inspectors’ spokesman Hiro Ueki said.

It raised to 40 the number of the missiles scrapped since the operation — the most tangible sign of Iraqi cooperation with the inspectors probing its alleged programme of weapons of destruction — began a week ago. Five combat warheads, one launcher and five engines have also been destroyed.

The destruction process resumed under United Nations supervision at Al-Taji, a military complex north of Baghdad, according to Uday al-Tai, director general of Iraq’s information ministry.

“We are not watching the breaking of toothpicks. Lethal weapons are being destroyed,” Mr Blix told Friday’s Security Council session.

Iraqi officials say the country has produced about 100 Al-Samoud 2 missiles, which UN experts said had to be scrapped because they exceeded the range limit of 150 kilometres allowed by UN resolutions.

In the Security Council debate, Britain and the United States gave Iraq until March 17 to prove it was fully, unconditionally and actively disarming, or it would face an attack from some 250,000 troops they have amassed in the region.

London, Washington and Madrid hope to press for a vote next week on a draft resolution which, if passed, would effectively pave the way for war, although the Security Council is deeply divided on the issue.

—AFP