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BLIX Dossier Includes Undeclared Drones (AP has the full report)
Associated Press | 8 March 2003 | Edith Lederer

Posted on 03/08/2003 5:55:08 PM PST by PhiKapMom

BLIX DOSSIER INCLUDES UNDECLARED DRONES

Edith Lederer
AP

UNITED NATIONS (March 8) - In a 173-page dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix says Baghdad may possess about 10,000 liters of anthrax, Scud missile warheads filled with deadly biological and chemical agents, and drones capable of flying far beyond a 93-mile limit.

The report, obtained late Friday by The Associated Press, traces the history of Iraq's weapons programs and outlines the many areas where questions remain, many old but some new. Blix told the Security Council earlier in the day that he planned to cull items from the document and compile a list of key remaining disarmament tasks by the end of March that Iraq must complete.

The table of contents reflects the scope of the unanswered questions: missile technology, aerial bombs, spray devices and drone aircraft, mustard gas, sarin, chemical processing equipment, Botulinum toxin, ricin, genetic engineering and viral research - and the list goes on.

British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described the document as ''a shocking indictment of the record of Saddam Hussein's deception and deceit, but above all, of the danger which he poses to the region and to the world.''

Britain and the United States, which are seeking Security Council approval for a war against Iraq, can find plenty of ammunition in the dossier to support their argument that Baghdad has failed to cooperate and fully disarm. But opponents of a rush to war counter that Iraq is starting to provide evidence - and therefore U.N. weapons inspections should continue.

Blix has previously questioned Iraq's reporting of its destruction of anthrax supplies from 1988 to 1991. He said Iraq declared that it produced 8,445 liters but cited evidence in the new report that it produced more.

''The strong presumption is that about 10,000 liters of anthrax was not destroyed and may still exist,'' he said. In addition, ''Iraq currently possesses the technology and materials, including fermenters, bacterial growth media and seed stock, to enable it to produce anthrax.''

''Many of the skilled personnel familiar with anthrax production have been transferred to civilian industries. There does not appear to be any choke points, which would prevent Iraq from producing anthrax on at least the scale of its pre-1991 level,'' Blix said.

The chief inspector also expressed concern about Iraq's program to build pilotless aircraft known as drones, citing intelligence reports that Saddam Hussein is developing vehicles with a range of 312 miles - far exceeding the 93-mile limit.

While small, Blix said, drones can be used to spray biological warfare agents such as anthrax.

Iraq hasn't revealed the development of any drones that fly automatically, though it has declared that it developed two vehicles controlled from the ground or other aircraft with a range of 62 miles, he said, adding that this must be investigated.

''Recent inspections have also revealed the existence of a drone with a wingspan of 7.45 meters (24 1/2 feet) that has not been declared by Iraq. Officials at the inspection site stated that the drone had been test flown,'' Blix said.

The chief inspector also expressed concern that Baghdad may be developing or planning missiles other than the Al Samoud 2 that may also have ranges exceeding 93 miles. Iraq has begun destroying its Al Samoud 2s.

''Indications of this come from solid propellant casting chambers Iraq has acquired through indigenous production, or from the repair of old chambers,'' he said. ''The size of these chambers would enable the manufacture of a missile system with a range much greater than 93 miles.''

Blix said Iraq must also produce evidence to prove that it has fully abandoned its program to develop a medium-range ballistic missile with a range of between 625 and 1,875 miles.

On Scud-B missiles, he said, ''the lack of documentation to support the destruction of Scud-B liquid propellant, and the fact that approximately 50 warheads were not accounted for among the remnants of unilateral destruction, suggest that these items may have been retained for a proscribed missile force.''

Iraq must also account for up to 30 chemical and biological Scud-type warheads which it claims it destroyed, he said. One way would be to provide minutes from a committee formed in 1991 to address the issue of retaining banned material and weapons, he said.

AP-NY-03-08-03 0341EST


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News
KEYWORDS: blix; drone; liar; saddam; supporter; warlist
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To: Steven W.
I heard the same thing..
61 posted on 03/08/2003 6:38:57 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: Howlin
That was the summation as I was watching the UN briefings!
62 posted on 03/08/2003 6:39:19 PM PST by PhiKapMom (Get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US)
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To: TexKat
Powell discussed this, yes, during his presentation. He showed a slide that depicted an area where they'd monitored the testing of this drone and noted that they would fly it around & around in circles so they could exceed the distance the inspectors were looking for.
63 posted on 03/08/2003 6:39:20 PM PST by Steven W.
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To: PhiKapMom
Yes, on Friday. Back when the report only had 167 pages.
64 posted on 03/08/2003 6:40:11 PM PST by Howlin (Only UNamericans put the UN before America!)
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To: Dog
I heard that same report on MSNBC! You could tell the reporter was furious as well. I think he came from the Times so their Sunday edition should be on-line shortly!
65 posted on 03/08/2003 6:40:47 PM PST by PhiKapMom (Get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US)
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To: Steven W.
I believe this is a different drone. This one has a 25 foot wingspan.

The one he showed that day did not. And he sure didn't say anything about it being able to go to another country.
66 posted on 03/08/2003 6:41:10 PM PST by Howlin (Only UNamericans put the UN before America!)
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To: Howlin
And then late Friday afternoon according the the London Times reporter.....Blix dropped this bombshell as people were leaving the city.
67 posted on 03/08/2003 6:41:19 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: Steven W.
I cannot believe they did this! Didn't they think someone was going to find out. Looks like those pages may not have been added until today? I would have thought this would have broken last night if they got the papers before leaving the UN.
68 posted on 03/08/2003 6:42:09 PM PST by PhiKapMom (Get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US)
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To: Dog; PhiKapMom; Mo1; Dog Gone
I could have sworn we heard some thing about a secret report Blix had the night before, becasue I recall somebody remarking that maybe somebody would ask him about it during his appearance at the U.N.
69 posted on 03/08/2003 6:42:21 PM PST by Howlin (Only UNamericans put the UN before America!)
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To: Dog
Nope.....nope.....I believe we heard of this before Bush's speech on Thursday night. I'm going to look!
70 posted on 03/08/2003 6:42:57 PM PST by Howlin (Only UNamericans put the UN before America!)
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To: Dog
Reporter said.....Blix was scared that if he reported this...the meeting would have changed...

The ironic thing is that it wouldn't have. France would have dismissed it as proof the inspections are working, and everyone else would have proceeded about the same.

Having this come out later, proving that Blix is covering up for the Iraqis is the best possible turn of events.

You can't make up this stuff!

71 posted on 03/08/2003 6:43:43 PM PST by Dog Gone
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To: Howlin
No reports of drones...
72 posted on 03/08/2003 6:43:47 PM PST by Dog (Courage is being scared to death... and saddling up anyway. ~John Wayne)
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To: PhiKapMom
Iraqi Drones May Target U.S. Cities

Thursday, February 27, 2003

WASHINGTON — Iraq could be planning a chemical or biological attack on American cities through the use of remote-controlled "drone" planes equipped with GPS tracking maps, according to U.S. intelligence.

The information about Iraq's unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) program has caused a "real concern" among defense personnel, senior U.S. officials tell Fox News. They're worried that these vehicles have already been, or could be, transported inside the United States to be used in an attack, although there is no proof that this has happened.

Secretary of State Colin Powell showed a picture of a small drone plane during his presentation to the U.N. Security Council earlier this month.

"UAVs outfitted with spray tanks constitute an ideal method for launching a terrorist attack using biological weapons," Powell said during his speech. "Iraq could use these small UAVs, which have a wingspan of only a few meters, to deliver biological agents to its neighbors or, if transported, to other countries, including the United States."

Powell said there is "ample evidence" that Iraq has dedicated much time and effort to developing and testing spray devices that could be adapted for UAVs. "And of the little that Saddam Hussein told us about UAVs, he has not told the truth," Powell said.

In the arms declaration Iraq submitted to the U.N. Security Council in December, the country said its UAVs have a range of only 50 miles. But Powell said U.S. intelligence sources found that one of Iraq's newest UAVs went 310 miles nonstop on autopilot in a test run. That distance is over the 155 miles that the United Nations permits, and the test was left out of Iraq's arms declaration.

Officials tell Fox that there is solid intelligence that Iraq has tested many different types of sprayers on these drones to disperse chemical and biological weapons.

President Bush addressed the threat in October in Cincinnati, making his first big case outlining Iraq's defiance.

"We've also discovered through intelligence that Iraq has a growing fleet of manned and unmanned aerial vehicles that could be used to disperse chemical and biological weapons across broad areas," Bush said in preparation for a congressional vote authorizing the use of force against Iraq. "We're concerned that Iraq is exploring ways of using these UAVs for missions targeting the United States."

The president noted, however, that sophisticated delivery systems aren't required for a chemical or biological attack. "All that might be required are a small container and one terrorist or Iraqi intelligence operative to deliver it," he said.

Even though it has been mentioned a few times by administration officials, the issue of UAVs and their capabilities has been largely overlooked.

But some experts say that even if the UAVs do get assembled for use in the United States, the chances that they could cause widespread damage are low.

"These technologies are not terribly well proven," F. Whitten Peters, a former Air Force Secretary, told Fox News, referring to vehicles that can be used to disperse harmful agents.

Peters said in order to go undetected in the air, the UAVs would have to be small — and therefore would not be able to carry too much of a harmful substance, and they would have to fly over densely populated areas if they want to achieve maximum casualties.

But because many large metropolitan areas such as Washington have air traffic watchers keeping an eye out for any nearby planes that have not filed a flight plan, the UAVs likely would not succeed in a large-city attack.

It's the smaller cities and towns that would be more vulnerable.

"It's not clear air traffic would actually see this aircraft," Peters said, adding that if the vehicles flew low enough to evade radar detection, "they would be basically invisible."

As to what the government could do to protect Americans from any threat UAVs may pose, Peters said: "I don't think there's much to be done besides the steps we're already taking to deal with chemical and biological threats."

But some experts say the threat is very real and should be taken seriously.

"This isn't brain surgery," Air National Guard Chief Paul Weaver told Fox News in reference to how easy it would be to assemble a UAV. "The key is getting it into the country."

Not too long after Sept. 11, there was a report made public about Usama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network being trained to conduct air raids through air vehicles outfitted with spray tanks. Some terror network members had looked into the possibility of training on the aerial UAVs. This was the catalyst for investigations into U.S. flight schools.

"If they could organize something like Sept. 11," Weaver said, "this would be very doable."

73 posted on 03/08/2003 6:46:49 PM PST by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
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To: TexKat
"Do anyone of you remember Powell referring to the Iraqi drones in his Feb 5th statement."

Absolutely—Powell presented an "analysts' estimate" mockup picture of the drone. He also said that US radar had tracked a test flight of the drone where it flew some 500 laps on a kilometer-long figure-8 course, IIRC. The left of course totally scorned the entire report. It's the same old catch-22: If Blix doesn't find something, it's because there's nothing to find, but when he does find something it's proof that "the inspections are working."

74 posted on 03/08/2003 6:46:57 PM PST by Fabozz
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To: PhiKapMom
It's time to say F**k you to the UN.
75 posted on 03/08/2003 6:47:02 PM PST by grb
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To: Dog Gone
Would say that the Inspectors have now made themselves irrelevant along with the members of the Security Council who put their faith in inspections!

We could not have written this script any better.

Guess I will be watching Powell on the talking shows tomorrow. I usually don't watch those shows but I want to hear what he has to say about the drones.
76 posted on 03/08/2003 6:47:43 PM PST by PhiKapMom (Get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US)
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To: Dog
No report of a drone, but I am positive we discussed a secret 167 page report Blix was sitting on.
77 posted on 03/08/2003 6:47:47 PM PST by Howlin (Only UNamericans put the UN before America!)
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To: Dog Gone
BINGO

If he covered this up. Next question: What else is he covering up?
78 posted on 03/08/2003 6:48:14 PM PST by CathyRyan
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To: chuck allen
Of course the US knew. Apparently they were discovered during BDA after Operation Desert Fox.

The key is the now the inspectors have confirmed their existence. This is a *major* violation by the Iraqis, and should have been the first sentence that came out of Blix's mouth on Friday, but instead it was buried in a report that doesn't seem to be release publicly.

This is absolutely shameful, and shows what Cheney said last year, that the inspections are just a bad joke.

This revelation alone is enough reason for Dubya to pull the trigger RIGHT NOW.



79 posted on 03/08/2003 6:48:48 PM PST by mikenola
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To: PhiKapMom
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described the document as ''a shocking indictment of the record of Saddam Hussein's deception and deceit, but above all, of the danger which he poses to the region and to the world.''

IT'S THE SMOKING DRONE.

80 posted on 03/08/2003 6:49:05 PM PST by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
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