The Hindu : Iraq says it has destroyed four Al-Samoud 2 missiles

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Sunday, Mar 02, 2003

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Iraq says it has destroyed four Al-Samoud 2 missiles

BAGHDAD March 1. An Iraqi official said his country destroyed four Al-Samoud 2 missiles today, as ordered by the United Nations weapons inspectors, but a spokesman for the inspectors. The Iraqi official on condition of anonymity said the destruction occurred at 1 p.m. local time (0630 IST) near here at the Al-Taji area which has several factories involved in missile production.

Odai al-Taie, head of the Information Department at Iraq's Information Ministry, said a team of U.N. weapons inspectors also would seize a mould used to make solid fuel at the Al-Rasheed Company "in order to prepare it for destruction tomorrow".

A top U.N. weapons inspector, however, said the first Al-Samoud missile was ``successfully destroyed'' today in line with a deadline set by the United Nations.

``One missile was successfully destroyed. The destruction of the three other missiles is still going on. Hopefully all four would be destroyed later today,'' Dimitri Perricos, who heads the U.N. inspectors team told reporters.

Hiro Ueki, spokesman for the U.N. inspectors, said the destruction of the proscribed missiles, components and related systems had begun at Taji military base, 40 km north of Baghdad.

``The U.N. inspectors supervised the work.''

The Chief U.N. weapons inspector, Hans Blix, ordered the destruction of the finned, white rockets and all their components, fuel and design systems because tests indicated that some fly farther than allowed. He praised the Iraqi decision to comply with his order: "It is a very significant piece of real disarmament."

Earlier in the day, Mr. Perricos met the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein's scientific adviser, Lt.Gen. Amer al-Saadi, to finalise details of the destruction.

The two sides discussed technical points and "agreed on a schedule and a work plan for the coming days". They also agreed on "the sites of destruction, the manner of destruction and the priorities".

Mr. Ueki said the inspectors had resumed interviews with Iraqi scientists on Friday, the first such interview since Feburary 7, and that this was "positive news". — AP, Reuters

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