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Iraq
Iraq parades outspoken scientist
2003-02-19
Iraq put on a rare public display of one of its weapons scientists yesterday, intensifying its battle with Britain and America for world public opinion. The appearance of Sa'ad Ahmed Mahmoud as the UN security council debates the future of the weapons inspections was intended to press home Iraq's claim that it has improved its cooperation.
If you really want to improve your cooperation, Sammy, let us take Sa'ad, his wife and young'uns over to Turkey for a spell.
Mr Mahmoud, the deputy director of a company producing rocket motors, dismissed the contention by the US and Britain that Iraq has tried to divert aluminium rocket tubes to its nuclear programme. Officials in Baghdad may be trying to capitalise on the doubts over military action raised by last weekend's anti-liberation war protests in Europe and the US. Mr Mahmoud said he was interviewed for three hours on Monday by five weapons experts from the UN nuclear agency, the IAEA, seeking evidence of the possible dual use of the aluminium tubes. He said the session, without an Iraqi government chaperone, convinced the weapons experts of Iraq's claim that there was no connection between the tubes and Iraq's nuclear programme. "We asked them, are you really convinced that these tubes are being used for any other purpose?" he said. "The answer was: 'no'."
Was the tape recorder running then?
The US and Britain contend that some 160,000 aluminium tubes, imported in 1998 for Iraq's rocket programme, were being diverted.
This is easy to resolve: show us the 160,000 rockets.
Suspicions were deepened by reports of changes to the specifications of the tubes in further shipments. Mr Mahmoud said yesterday that the tubes, which were for an infantry rocket which entered production in 1998, had been repeatedly inspected at his plant, the Rashid General Company. "They saw for themselves we imported a quantity of tubes because the older tubes had corroded," he said.
Corroded? How? Side effect of uranium extraction?
Although the UN and Iraq have managed to break the deadlock over aerial surveillance - preparations for the first U2 flight began at the weekend - the weapons inspectors still complain that they have not been able to interview scientists as they would have wished. A UN spokesman said yesterday that Unmovic had sought private interviews, without tape recorders, with Iraqi experts on 30 occasions. Only three took place.
Want to bet the Iraqis knew what was said anyway?
The IAEA has not shared Unmovic's insistence on private interviews. Mr Mahmoud said the UN's insistence on private interviews was political, and driven by pressure from America. He pleaded with advised inspectors not to ask Iraqi scientists to be interviewed outside the country. "I am speaking as a citizen and as an individual with a 9 mm pistol to my head. I would not accept such an invitation."
"Please don't kill me!"
Posted by:Steve White

#5  Uranium hexaflouride is supposed to be EXTREMELY corrosive.
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2003-02-19 15:11:08  

#4  sorry, meant to link: Uranium enrichment
Posted by: Frank G   2003-02-19 17:42:13  

#3  Uranium Hexafluoride (UF6)
Physical and chemical properties of UF6, and its use in uranium processing.

Uranium Hexafluoride and Its Properties
Uranium hexafluoride is a chemical compound consisting of one atom of uranium combined with six atoms of fluorine. It is the chemical form of uranium that is used during the uranium enrichment process. Within a reasonable range of temperature and pressure, it can be a solid, liquid, or gas. Solid UF6 is a white, dense, crystalline material that resembles rock salt.

The most common enrichment process used outside of the United States is gas centrifuge enrichment
Posted by: Frank G   2003-02-19 17:40:38  

#2  I can believe the previous batch corroded quickly. After all, it was never intended for chemical weapons.
Posted by: Dishman   2003-02-19 14:23:57  

#1  Hmmm so the aluminum tubes corroded in less than 5 yrs? But you keep producing more rockets of the same material, just with tighter tolerances in the tooling? As an engineer (actually anyone with common sense...) I know this is crap, why would the IAEA guys not acknowledge that as well? Maybe....they have an agenda?
Posted by: Frank G   2003-02-19 10:11:12  

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