4.3 |
Iraq WMD assessments, October 2002 to March 2003
proof” that
Saddam Hussein was “lying over his WMD, to bring public opinion to
accept
the need
for military action”.79
185.
On 24 January,
Mr Scarlett provided a note with a list of points summarising
the
assessment
of Iraqi WMD holdings and concealment policy which could be
“deployed
“For the
most part the note repackages the contents of the September
dossier
bringing
out the key points, including quantities of WMD more clearly. There
is some
limited
updating to cover the work of UNMOVIC and concealment
activities.”
187.
The key points
in the note included:
Judgements
in the dossier:
•
“Iraq has a
useable [sic] chemical and biological weapons capability,
which
includes
recent production of chemical and biological agents, and military
plans
to use
them;
•
Iraq
continues to work on developing nuclear weapons;
•
Iraq
possesses up to twenty 650km Al Hussein missiles, is
developing
longer‑range
ballistic missiles, and is extending its shorter range
systems
beyond the
UN permitted range of 150km.”
Iraq’s
declaration of 7 December 2002:
•
Iraq had
“not taken the opportunity … to explain the issues outstanding
from
UNSCOM’s
report to the UN Security Council in 1999”.
•
Iraq
maintained that it currently had “no proscribed WMD
programmes”.
•
The UN
already had the “majority of information” in the
declaration.
•
The
declaration did “not alter UK assessments of Iraq’s WMD
programmes”.
Chemical
weapons:
•
Iraq could
produce mustard gas, tabun, sarin and VX nerve agents.
•
Iraq had
had “chemical weapons available from both pre-Gulf War stocks
and
more recent
production”.
•
The UK did
“not know exactly how much CW agent” was available. While
it
believed
current holdings were “less than” the 360 tonnes for which
UNSCOM
had been
unable to account, it was “still enough to fill many artillery
shells or
other
weapons”.
79
Minute
Rycroft to Manning, 23 January 2003, ‘Iraq: Prime Minister’s
Meeting with Jeremy Greenstock’.
80
Minute
Scarlett to Rycroft, 24 January 2003, ‘Iraq WMD: Intelligence
Points for the Prime Minister’
attaching
Note, ‘Iraq:WMD’.
325