Blix: Iraq could have made greater efforts

* Unmovic [the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission] is presently finalising an internal document of some importance, namely, a list of the disarmament issues which it considers currently unresolved, and of the measures which Iraq could take to resolve them ... It could also serve as a yardstick against which Iraq's disarmament actions under Resolution 1441 may be measured.

* Iraq has from the outset satisfied the demands for prompt access to any site, whether or not it had been previously disclosed or not. Iraq has further been helpful in getting Unmovic established on the ground, in developing the necessary infrastructure for communications, transport and accommodation ... Iraqi staff have been provided, sometimes in excessive numbers as escorts for the inspection teams. There have been minor frictions.

* Unmovic has been able to send surveillance aircraft over the entire country.

* The Iraqi Commission established to search for and present any prescribed items is potentially a mechanism of importance ... It has so far reported only a few findings: four empty 122mm chemical munitions and recently two BW aerial bombs.

* Iraq has recently reported to Unmovic the commission had found documents ... concerning Iraq's unilateral destruction of proscribed items. As of the submission of this report, the documents are being examined.

* The list of names of personnel reported to have taken part in the unilateral destruction of biological and chemical weapons and missiles in 1991 will open the possibility for interviews which, if credible, might shed light on the scope of the unilateral actions.

* It has not yet proved possible to obtain interviews with Iraqi scientists, managers or others believed to have knowledge relevant to the disarmament tasks in circumstances that give satisfactory credibility.

* The Declaration of 7 December, despite the hopes attached to it and despite its large volume, has not been found to provide new evidence or data that may help to resolve outstanding disarmament issues ... it did, however, usefully shed light on the developments in the missile sector.

* The destruction of some items ... is taking place under Unmovic supervision and further such actions will take place.

* The presidential decree ... which prohibits private Iraqi citizens and mixed companies from engaging in work relating to weapons of mass destruction, standing alone, is not sufficient to meet the UN requirements.

* During the period of time covered by this report, Iraq could have made greater efforts to find any remaining proscribed items or provide credible evidence showing the absence of such items. The results in terms of disarmament have been very limited so far.

The destruction of missiles ... has not yet begun. Iraq could have made full use of the declaration, which was submitted on 7 December.

It is hard to understand why a number of the measures, which are now being taken, could not have been initiated earlier. If they had been taken earlier, they might have borne fruit by now. It is only by the middle of January and thereafter that Iraq has taken a number of steps, which have the potential of resulting either in the presentation for destruction of stocks or items that are proscribed or the presentation of relevant evidence solving longstanding unresolved disarmament issues.