4.1 |
Iraq WMD assessments, pre-July 2002
•
In the light
of sensitivities about their content and significance, publication
of
documents
on ‘Iraq’s Weapons of Mass Destruction’, ‘Weapons Inspections’
and
‘Abuse of
Human Rights’ was postponed until the policy on Iraq was
clearer.
4.
The
conviction that Iraq had retained elements of its prohibited
nuclear,
chemical,
biological and ballistic missile programmes was the fundamental
tenet
of UK
policy towards Iraq throughout the 1990s.
5.
When Saddam
Hussein invaded Kuwait in August 1991, Iraq had deployable
stocks
of chemical
and biological weapons, was developing long-range missiles and had
an
active
nuclear programme.
6.
Saddam Hussein
had used chemical weapons during the 1980s, in breach
of
international
law, both against the Kurds and during the war with Iran. He did
not,
however,
use them during the 1991 Gulf Conflict.
7.
After the 1991
Conflict, the UN Security Council sought to contain Iraq’s
military
capability
and restore international peace and security. On 3 April 1991, the
UN
Security
Council adopted resolution 687 imposing a wide range of obligations
on Iraq.
The obligations
in relation to “weapons of mass destruction” are summarised in
the
Box below.
Section C
of resolution 687 invited Iraq (operative paragraph (OP) 7) to
reaffirm
unconditionally
its obligations under the 1925 Geneva Protocol and to ratify the
Biological
and Toxin
Weapons Convention (BTWC).
The
Security Council decided (OP8) that “Iraq shall unconditionally
accept the destruction,
removal or
rendering harmless, under international supervision”, of
all:
•
“chemical and
biological weapons”;
•
“stocks of
agents”;
•
“related
sub-systems and components”;
•
“research,
development, support and manufacturing facilities”;
•
“ballistic
missiles with a range greater than one hundred and fifty
kilometres”;
•
“related major
parts”; and
•
“repair and
production facilities”.
Iraq was
required (OP9) to submit, within 15 days, “a declaration of the
locations, amounts
and types
of all items” specified in OP8, and agree to urgent on-site
inspection.
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