U.N. Spy Photos Show New Building at Iraqi Nuclear Sites

New York Times ^ | 9/06/02 | JULIA PRESTON

[kattracks]

NITED NATIONS, Sept. 5 — A team of weapons inspectors, studying satellite photography, have identified several nuclear-related sites in Iraq where new construction or other unexplained changes have occurred since the last international inspections nearly four years ago, a United Nations official said today.

Experts in New York and Vienna have continued to scrutinize aerial photographs and pore over intelligence reports, even after United Nations inspectors pulled out of Iraq in December 1998 in advance of bombing by the United States and Britain.

Officials representing the team of nuclear inspectors in Vienna and a separate team on chemical and biological weapons based in New York said United Nations inspectors are equipped, trained and ready to go to Iraq and could begin their work within weeks if Baghdad gave permission. But they said it would take about a year to complete work to determine whether Iraq was developing prohibited weapons, and then only if Iraq cooperated fully.

A team of about 15 experts at the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna noted the new structures and other alterations in photographs shot by a commercial satellite, said Jacques Baute, the French physicist who is the team leader of the nuclear inspectors.

The shots were compared to pictures and information from the sites gathered by inspectors the last time they were in Iraq. He declined to identify exact locations.

"We are very curious to see what is under the roof," Mr. Baute said, referring to the new buildings. "There are some activities that could be part of prohibited activities, but we have nothing now that allows us to draw a conclusion.

"We want to open any door we want to open," he said.

President Bush, facing concern from many nations over the possibility of a military strike by the United States against Saddam Hussein, the Iraqi president, plans to consult over the next two days with leaders from Security Council nations to see if new action can be taken through the United Nations to confront Iraq on the weapons inspections.

But even if inspectors were allowed to return, United Nations officials acknowledge that their timetable is slower than United States officials say they want. The inspectors said it would take them about 12 months to examine locations, scrutinize documents and analyze samples to get a full picture of Iraq's weapons efforts — if they could work unimpeded.

Iraq has continued to allow annual inspections of one warehouse in a Baghdad suburb, part of the Tawaitha nuclear research center, by a different team of the atomic agency. In their last visit, in January, the inspectors did not detect any illegal weapons activity there.

But Iraq has not been reporting to the United Nations its "dual-use" imports — substances that might be used for weapons production as well as nuclear fuel — as it is required to do, according to a report released today by Hans Blix, the head of the biological and chemical weapons team.

That team, which is based in New York, was reorganized by the Security Council two years ago to make it more professional and finance it with revenues from sales of Iraqi oil, which is monitored by the United Nations. The team, which also will inspect for development of long-range missiles, now includes 63 permanent staff members from 27 countries.

After a meeting last weekend, European Union countries have been discussing the idea of setting a deadline to force Iraq to allow the United Nations inspectors to return. But diplomats in New York said that European governments had not yet decided on that course, and were waiting to hear from President Bush.

Secretary General Kofi Annan, increasingly impatient with Baghdad's delays, has resisted attempts by Iraq since August to draw him into new talks about the purpose of the inspections. Mr. Annan told Iraqi officials that their next exchange with him should be an invitation for the inspectors to return.

[finnman69]

BUT BUT BUT, Semenstain said we need to get Osama first before we can prevent nuclear terroism. ``Saddam Hussein didn't kill 3,100 people on Sept. 11,'' he said. ``Osama bin Laden did, and as far as we know he's still alive.''

SCUMBAG

[sheik yerbouty]

"I am Beelzebubba, the ;man of sin', the false prophet, and the chief resident of the lake of fire! Give your soul to me, and I will grant your wishes!"

[Black Agnes]

Darnit, you beat me to it! *I* was gonna say baby milk factory for all the nice nuclear weapons engineers kids!

[Vidalia]

Ritter is dead meat politically.

As so many "friends" of the Clintons found out so it goes with the Democrats, he is a piece of trash walking...

[Vidalia]

I would lay odds on that Ritter was either set up with a prosti or was caught boinking someone else's wife.

After being shown the audio/video evidence of his dalliance, "POOF!", he became an instant Dem puppet...

[L,TOWM]

LOL

[andy_card]

Russia and China have already announced they intend to veto.

Really? I hadn't heard that. Even if true, I still hold by my original analysis. Vetoing a Security Council Resolution in favor of US military action would run counter to their strategic interests. China, especially, is dependent on goodwill in the US Congress. Were they to exercise their veto, that goodwill would vanish and they'd be screwed. Russia, conceivably, could veto the effort, especially given their current relations with Saddam, but Pooty-Poot's relationship with Bush would be shot, and I imagine the favor of the United States is a little more important to them than the favor of Baghdad.

[FreeTheHostages]

I hope you're right.

[mikhailovich]

Perhaps, but 8 billion ain't nothing to sneeze over.

[andy_card]

Perhaps, but 8 billion ain't nothing to sneeze over.

According to the latest US Census Bureau Foreign Trade Statistics, Russia has an annual $3.6-5.6 billion (over-the-counter) trade surplus with the US. In addition, we give them billions more in aid, and bail them out whenever they suffer major fiscal crises. That's a lot more than Iraq can offer them.

[mikhailovich]

What did we bail them out of?

[knak]

I just don't think bin laden could've kept his trap shut for this long. With all that's going on now? No way is he alive.

[bert]

...I imagine the favor of the United States is a little more important to them than the favor of Baghdad....

I think there is money involved. I think Putin will agree to everything with the condition that the new Iraq must pay the zillions it owes Russian companies for weapons provided decades ago. The Soviets sold, but didn't know how to collect. Iraq is rich and there will be plunder to dole out for years in the future. Putin wants what he is owed. it's iccredible to believe but the Soviets just couldn't get the hang of foreign trade, especially the part about collecting the receivable.

Plain old precinct politics. Back scratching and money.

[Carry_Okie]

What the heck is this story doing coming from the UN?

Where did they get these photos? The UN doesn't have satellites.

Can't we study our own photos and show them to the world?

[Catspaw]

I wonder whether Scott Ritter is back with the program (literally and figuratively).

I heard this at the end of one of the cable shows last night (don't ask me which one)--Ritter is going back to Iraq and will be speaking to the Iraqi Congress (or whatever it's called). I do hope that we don't admit him back into the country after his visit.

[RightWhale]

"We want to open any door we want to open,"

A graduate of the Yogi Berra Academy of Rhetoric.

[USA21]

U.N. Spy Photos Show New Building at Iraqi Nuclear Sites

U.S satellite that they U.N have

[PoisedWoman]

condos!

Right. They're called the Nuclear Arms.

[VaBthang4]

"United Nations inspectors are equipped, trained and ready to go to Iraq and could begin their work within weeks if Baghdad gave permission."

Read between the lines...

Saddam here is your free pass. Just permit inspectors in and you have another year to figure out how to Nuke New York City or DC.