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| Axis of Evil |
| Iraqis know beforehand what facility will be inspected |
| 2003-01-02 |
| UN experts in Iraq checked on Wednesday the al-Hareth military facility which repairs missiles for the Iraqi air defense system and the Al-Majd repair plant engaged in maintenance of heavy-duty equipment. The UN routinely made no comments on the visits. Meanwhile, one of the more than 100 international experts working in the country said on condition of anonymity that they now have to act like thieves. Despite the secrecy which seemingly veils their work, he said, Iraqis always know beforehand what facility will be visited, and so advise its personnel about the upcoming inspection, according to the pan-Arab daily Ash-Sharq Al Awsat. The expert complained that Iraqis are equipped with faster cars and better means of communications than the teams from the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency. The newspaper cited the expert as saying that the executives and personnel of the Iraqi companies due to be visited, appear to be always ready for inspections. In his view, the conspiracy to which the UN teams have to resort is unavailing. For example, UN experts avoid talking to each other in the presence of the Iraqi monitoring commission, preferring to communicate by exchanging notes instead. I read another report where the director of the air defense repair facility (SAMs) complained that the U.N. woke him up at 6AM on New Years Day telling him they were inspecting him that day. Seems like some people on the U.N. team are trying to do their job and others are tipping off the Iraqis. What a surprise, NOT! |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #6 None of this solves the underlying problem: the Iraqi's are good at hiding stuff and have a very tight police state. It is likely they've cleared out most sites that the UN might inspect based on past inspections or advice from the US or the UK. Even if Blix's boys can chopper in unannounced, they'll find nothing. Only recent defectors can provide the timely information and Saddam keeps them under wraps. |
| Posted by: JAB 2003-01-03 09:46:14 |
| #5 The U.S. Air Force has some transportation that's even quicker! |
| Posted by: theSarge 2003-01-02 22:02:02 |
| #4 Actually, I heard recently that the Iraquis are balking providing the inspectors with helicopters. Given that AWACS knows everything manmade that's in the air, it's a simple matter to demand that the iraquis ground everything while the UN is in the air, and know whether they're cooperating or not. Provided that the chopper pilots are not iraquis, that'll negate the fast car advantage and sidestep the traffic jam maneuver. Now it makes sense when they were sooo cooperative. That is, until UNMOVIC and IAEA started asking for choppers. |
| Posted by: Ptah 2003-01-02 20:40:15 |
| #3 Hey, I hear the U.S. Army has some really fast transportation... >;D |
| Posted by: Just John 2003-01-02 16:16:20 |
| #2 You see, it's because of those fast cars them Iraqis have. I'd bet everytime the inspectors try to move, they get unexpectedly stuck in a traffic jam. After all, gas is cheap in Iraq. |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-01-02 15:31:41 |
| #1 Hey... wait a minute I thought this was a NEWS blog! Everyone except Kofi Annan has known this for at least a month. I want my money back, pronto! |
| Posted by: Ryan Waxx 2003-01-02 15:21:52 |