Baghdad, Mar 03: Iraq resumed the process today of destroying its banned al-Samoud 2 missiles under UN supervision, the UN inspectors` spokesman said. "The teams left this morning" for the site outside the Iraqi capital where the missiles are being scrapped, Hiro Ueki told a news agency here. Amer al-Saadi, Iraqi president Saddam Hussein`s top weapons advisor, warned yesterday that Baghdad could stop the process if it became clear that the united states was going to wage war against Iraq unilaterally. Iraq destroyed six more missiles yesterday, raising to 10 the number scrapped in two days, all with a bulldozer.

The operation is taking place under UN supervision.

Baghdad says there are about 100 al-Samoud 2 missiles, which UN experts say are banned because they breach the 150-km range limit set by previous resolutions.

Compliance with the order to destroy the rockets was seen as a key test of whether Iraq was cooperating with the UN inspectors sent in late last November to investigate its alleged programme of weapons of mass destruction.

The United States and Britain claim Saddam continues to hide such weapons, and have together massed more than 200,000 troops in the region ready to oust him.

Bureau Report