Hamdoon: Iraq may reconsider policy toward UNSCOM if sanctions remain
Iraq, Politics, 6/25/1998

Iraqi ambassador to the UN Nizar Hamdoon denied that Iraq possessed VX nerve gas during the Gulf War and used it in warheads, as reported by chief UN weapons inspector Richard Butler.

In an interview with PBS "Newshour," Hamdoon said "We don't trust the findings of a lab that has been cooperating with the Iraqi opposition that's based in Washington," Hamdoon said, adding that Iraq was "trying hard" to comply with the UN inspection efforts by the end of the year. "If it doesn't look at any point that the sanctions will be lifted, Iraq will be reconsidering its policy," he said, adding, "I do see" another showdown with the UN as a possibility. He did not specify a time frame in which Iraq would consider changing its policy.

The U.S. ambassador to the UN, Bill Richardson stood by the results of the tests, "Facts are facts. Iraq has been deceiving the international community with weaponization of nerve gas. It's very simple."

Butler characterized the lab's findings as "utterly unambiguous."

Hamdoon said that more tests would be run by labs in France and Switzerland to check on the UNSCOM claim. "The other four permanent members will have to be involved in the testing," he said, because of Iraq's mistrust of U.S. motives regarding the sanctions.

Hamdoon admitted that Iraq had a VX program in 1990, but said that program was unsuccessful.

Butler said that the Iraqi VX program did achieve successful results, "These findings show that they did weaponize it; they put it in missile warhead."

However Hamdoon said the issue of VX had already been addressed by UNSCOM, which had been given some the products of Iraq's VX program, while more was destroyed by Iraq itself, "We also have shown them some authentic documents back in 1991, early in 1991, showing all the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, and that did not include the VX. And that document was considered authentic by the UNSCOM."

Previous Stories:
  Arab League criticizes Butler's declaration on lifting the sanctions of Iraq   (6/24/1998)
  Iraq calls for immediate lifting of UN sanctions   (6/23/1998)
  Iraq on its way out of the UN sanctions   (6/15/1998)

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