Posted on 11/14/2002 3:43:03 PM PST by knighthawk
PARIS, Nov. 14 (Xinhuanet) -- United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix will arrive in Paris on Saturday to meet with French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin before starting his mission in Iraq, the French Foreign Ministry announced on Thursday.
Blix, chairman of the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), is expected to leave for Europe on Friday. He will be accompanied by a dozen aides.
Mohammed El Baradei, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), will join Blix to finalise an operational plan forthe weapons inspections.
The UNMOVIC team will arrive in Baghdad on Monday. Among them will be eight French inspectors, including nuclear physician Jacques Baute, who will be in charge of the IAEA's ground inspections, according to the French Foreign Ministry.
Iraq on Wednesday accepted UN Resolution 1441, adopted unanimously on Friday by the UN Security Council. Iraq has been given till Dec. 8 to present a full, accurate and up-to-date report on its programs to develop chemical, biological and nuclearweapons and ballistic missiles.
The inspectors will leave for Cyprus, which will serve as a transit point, on Sunday before moving on to Iraq.
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