Blix hails Iraqi disarmament measures

11.45am

UNITED NATIONS - In contrast to the Bush administration, chief UN arms inspector Hans Blix said today that Iraq had stepped up disarmament co-operation recently.

While he said there were still many open questions about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, Blix refused to join in the blanket US condemnation of Iraqi co-operation.

Speaking at a news conference, two days before he presents another crucial report to the UN Security Council, Blix also said the outbreak of war would discredit inspections not only in Iraq but elsewhere.

He said he would release "benchmarks" or unresolved issues for Iraq disarmament on Friday, a report wanted by several countries seeking a compromise between the US-British position of invading Iraq and the French-German-Russian view that inspections should continue without limits.

Blix has been careful not to give ammunition to either side in the Iraq crisis. Diplomats said if his Friday report is too positive, it might influence those Security Council members who remain undecided on whether or not to vote for a US-British-Spanish resolution that would authorise war.

His Friday report is the next big showpiece in the Security Council with foreign ministers from France, Britain, Spain, Syria, Germany as well as US Secretary of State Colin Powell due to attend.

Blix called the destruction of Iraq's al-Samoud 2 missiles "real disarmament." Iraq has scrapped about 19 out of 100 missiles since Saturday after inspectors said their range exceeded UN limits by a short distance.

"Here, weapons that can be used in war are destroyed in fairly large quantities. There's a whole programme, and it is the various items that are related to that, like launchers, casting chambers, etc. These are being destroyed," Blix said.

He spoke shortly before Powell said Iraq was hiding machinery to make al-Samoud missiles and had no intention of handing over all the missiles and associated components to the United Nations for destruction.

Blix also regretted that inspections would probably be curtailed through military action and said war would discredit the concept of disarmament through inspections, not just in Iraq but elsewhere.

"If war breaks out, I think that it is a serious failure for the approach through inspections to disarmament," Blix said.

However, Blix acknowledged that it was clear the stepped up activity by Iraq was motivated by the US military threat. "There is a great deal more co-operation now and the threat certainly has brought it there," he said.

In answer to questions, he said his inspection teams could not verify claims that Iraq had destroyed anthrax or VX chemical agents by digging in areas Baghdad said the poisons were buried.

He also said Iraq had for the first time in recent weeks allowed seven private interviews with scientists and other officials -- without minders or tape recorders.

He said that, in addition to Cyprus, he had asked an Arab country, which he did not identify, to host inspectors and Iraqi scientists who agree to be interviewed outside Iraq.

The United States and Britain still have not won enough support to pass a UN resolution authorizing war against Iraq and now face new threat from France and Russia to veto such a resolution.

At the United Nations on Tuesday, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan at his monthly lunch with Security Council ambassadors, appealed for unity and compromise among the major powers on the council.

He also asked Canadian Ambassador Paul Heinbecker to brief him on a proposal that would set benchmarks or tests for Iraqi disarmament by March 28. If Iraq failed to adhere to them the council would face the possibility of war.

Blix indirectly is helping the Canadian proposal by producing a list of unresolved tasks this week that could be used as benchmarks.

"He (Annan) is supportive of the concept behind it," Heinbecker said. "I don't know if he would endorse every detail of it. But the idea of a compromise between the two positions is what he is talking about."

- REUTERS