The Report
of the Iraq Inquiry
320.
Despite that
statement, inspection teams were prevented from inspecting
three
sites
between 27 September and 1 October.137
Constraints
had also been imposed
on two
occasions on UNSCOM flights inside Iraq.
321.
Mr Butler’s
report to the Security Council of 6 October acknowledged that
progress
had been
made in “substantive areas” of UNSCOM’s mandate, “in particular
with respect
to
accounting for Iraq’s proscribed long-range missiles and the
destruction of chemical
weapons-related
equipment and materials”.138
322.
In addition,
since April there had been more than 170 site inspections by
visiting
teams and
more than 700 site inspections by resident monitoring teams. The
majority
had been
conducted “without let or hindrance”. The “atmosphere in which
consultations
with the
Government of Iraq had been conducted” had “improved” and a number
of
problems
had been resolved through direct contacts between Mr Butler
and Mr Aziz.
323.
A work
programme had been agreed with Mr Aziz in late
July.
324.
In relation to
ballistic missiles, the work programme “put special
emphasis
on achieving
a solid and verifiable material balance”. Mr Butler reported
that:
•
UNSCOM had
been able to account for 817 of the 819 missiles imported
by
Iraq before
1988, including 83 of the 85 missiles which Iraq had claimed it
had
unilaterally
destroyed.
•
Inspections
in August and September 1997 had accounted for 14 mobile
missile
launchers,
but there were questions arising from Iraq’s different accounts
of
what had
happened to the launchers and its concealment of the fact that it
had
initially
retained four launchers, which were not destroyed until October
1991.
•
UNSCOM had
not yet been able to account for proscribed missile
warheads
or propellants
or the destruction of guidance components.
•
In
September 1997, Iraq had offered a new account of its concealment
and
destruction
of components for indigenous production of missile engines and
the
means for
their production, but had not provided any documentation to
support
that declaration.
•
UNSCOM
questioned Iraq’s claims that it was not withholding any
relevant
documents.
•
UNSCOM
needed a full understanding of the considerations that had led
to
Iraq’s
retention of proscribed assets.
137
UN Security
Council, 6 October 1997, ‘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/1997/774).
138
UN Security
Council, 6 October 1997, ‘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/1997/774).
80