1.1 | UK Iraq strategy 1990 to 2000

173. On 25 August, the JIC stated:

“Iraq has admitted to the UN that it conducted research into BW agents from 1986

to 1990, but claims never to have produced agent in quantity nor to have possessed

biological weapons. We have information that this claim is untrue and assess that

Iraq produced BW weapons containing anthrax and plague … Stocks of agents and

weapons have probably been hidden, together with key items of equipment.”75

174. Commenting on the judgement that Iraq had produced plague, the Butler

Report recorded that, after the Gulf Conflict, two further sources had provided “some

apparently corroborative intelligence” that Iraq had produced plague. There were some

inconsistencies between the knowledge of one of those sources and the source who had

provided information in November 1990, which “could have led to questioning of their

access”.

175. By November, there was renewed progress when Iraq accepted resolution 715,

and permitted the deployment of OMV systems to ensure former weapons sites were not

reactivated.

176. By May 1994, UNSCOM had supervised the destruction of “480,000 litres of live

chemical agent, 28,000 chemical munitions and approximately 1.8 million litres, and over

1 million kilograms of some 45 different precursor chemicals”.76

177. A JIC Assessment of 8 September noted that it did “not believe the full extent of the

CW programme” had been revealed:

“Although UNSCOM has destroyed the large declared stocks of CW agents,

precursors and weapons, Iraq may have retained a secret stockpile but we have

no direct evidence. Hidden stockpiles are probably unnecessary as the Iraqi civil

chemical industry can produce all the precursors needed to make mustard agent

and most of those for nerve agents.”77

178. In OP22 of resolution 687, the Security Council had decided that, upon approval by

the Security Council of the programme called for in OP19 (which would establish a fund

to pay compensation for damage caused by Iraq’s invasion and occupation of Kuwait)

and “Council agreement that Iraq has completed all actions contemplated” in OPs 8-13,

the sanctions imposed by resolution 661 should “have no further force or effect”.

179. In response to Iraq’s deployment of forces into southern Iraq, the Security Council

adopted resolution 949 (1994) on 15 October 1994, which condemned “deployments

75 Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction [“The Butler Report”], 14 July 2004, HC 898,

page 134.

76 UN Security Council, 11 October 1996, ‘Report of the Secretary-General on the activities of the Special

Commission established by the Secretary-General pursuant to paragraph 9 (b) (i) of resolution 687 (1991)’

(S/1996/848).

77 Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction [“The Butler Report”], 14 July 2004, HC 898,

pages 46-47.

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