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US shows evidence of Iraq making missiles to SC members: Report
American officials have presented members of the UN Security Council with what they say is new evidence of Iraq developing long-range missiles in defiance of the international sanctions, a report said on Sunday.
American officials have presented members of the UN Security Council with what they say is new evidence of Iraq developing long-range missiles in defiance of the international sanctions, a report said on Sunday.
US diplomats on Saturday said they believe that recent intelligence briefings have helped convince council members and UN officials that Iraq is not bargaining in good faith, the report in Lost Angeles Times said. In private meetings with Council members two weeks ago, US officials showed satellite photographs and documents that they claimed provide fresh evidence of an Iraqi project to build missiles with a range far beyond the 160-km limit stipulated in binding UN resolutions after Iraq invaded neighbouring Kuwait in 1990, the paper said.
I thought it was persuasive, but I'm not a specialist, said Norway's representative to UN Ole Peter Kolby, who was among those given an unpublicised presentation along with representatives from China, Russia, France and the UK. Kolby told the times that the photographs depicted, what us deputy ambassador to the UN James B Cunningham told them were, long-range missile parts and missile-launching installations.
“I believe that these pictures were what they said they were,” Kolby said.
Two other UN diplomats who, the paper said, requested anonymity confirmed the account of the meeting. Meanwhile, the US has reached agreement with Russia on a long list of items of potential military use that Iraq will no longer be allowed to import, the diplomats were quoted as saying.
Bureau Report
US diplomats on Saturday said they believe that recent intelligence briefings have helped convince council members and UN officials that Iraq is not bargaining in good faith, the report in Lost Angeles Times said. In private meetings with Council members two weeks ago, US officials showed satellite photographs and documents that they claimed provide fresh evidence of an Iraqi project to build missiles with a range far beyond the 160-km limit stipulated in binding UN resolutions after Iraq invaded neighbouring Kuwait in 1990, the paper said.
I thought it was persuasive, but I'm not a specialist, said Norway's representative to UN Ole Peter Kolby, who was among those given an unpublicised presentation along with representatives from China, Russia, France and the UK. Kolby told the times that the photographs depicted, what us deputy ambassador to the UN James B Cunningham told them were, long-range missile parts and missile-launching installations.
“I believe that these pictures were what they said they were,” Kolby said.
Two other UN diplomats who, the paper said, requested anonymity confirmed the account of the meeting. Meanwhile, the US has reached agreement with Russia on a long list of items of potential military use that Iraq will no longer be allowed to import, the diplomats were quoted as saying.
Bureau Report