 This undated photo released by the US State Department, as part of the evidence that Iraq harbors weapons of mass destruction presented 05 February, 2003, to the UN Security Council by US State Secretary Colin Powell, reportedly shows an Iraqi unmanned drone. Fox News, quoting US officials and intelligence 24 February, 2003, is reporting that Iraq could be planning a chemical or biological attack on the US using unmanned 'drone' planes equipped with global positioning systems. AFP PHOTO |
The discovery last week by US intelligence that Iraq had developed drone aircraft capable of dispensing chemical weapons "should be of concern to everybody," Powell said after a meeting with Foreign Minister Francois Fall of Guinea, and that the discovery may be another violation by Baghdad of UN resolutions.
The fuel capacity of the unmanned aerial vehicle enables it to fly beyond the 150km range limit imposed by the United Nations.
That was aside "from the fact that it may contain biological and chemical weapons," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said. He said the UN Security Council was expected to discuss the discovery, made by UN weapons inspectors, during a meeting in New York.
US Secretary of State Colin Powell said information provided by UN inspectors about the drone was further evidence that Iraq was not complying with its international obligations.
"There is a drone ... that they came upon, that they discovered, that they are not supposed to have and it looks like it is a prohibited item," Powell said.
Speaking on Fox News, he indicated Washington would use the discovery of the unmanned aircraft, which apparently has a wingspan of eight metres, to put further pressure on doubters within the UN Security Council to back military action against Iraq.
"It is the kind of thing we'll be making some news about in the course of the week," he said.
Iraq Halts Al-Samoud Production, Number Of UN Inspectors Falls
Iraq has stopped the production of banned Al-Samoud 2 missiles, a UN spokesman said Tuesday, confirming the destruction of 55 missiles in 10 days. "They have stopped the production" of Al-Samoud 2 missiles, UN inspectors' spokesman Hiro Ueki told a press conference.
Ueki said three more banned Al-Samoud 2 missiles, nine warheads and a launcher were destroyed under UN supervision on Tuesday.
He added that the number of UN inspectors in Iraq had fallen to 71, from more than 100 at the end of February, but denied the fall was part of evacuation plans ahead of an anticipated US-led war.
