Скачать или смотреть IRAQ: IRAQI ADVISER AMIR AL SA'ADI PRESS CONFERENCE

(15 Feb 1998) English/Nat

An adviser to Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Sunday insisted his country had no weapons of mass destruction to hide or send to other countries.

Amir al Sa'adi denounced a report in "U-S News and World Report" - which claimed Iraq had moved many of its weapons to other Arab countries - as "silly" and "unreasonable".

He also rejected as "absolute nonsense" claims made by chief weapons inspector Richard Butler that U-N inspectors had gotten rid of a "huge quantity" of weapons.

Speaking on C-N-N, Richard Butler said that whenever his teams had been given access to restricted sites, they had found a significant quantity of prohibited weapons.

But the claims by the chief of the U-N Special Commission were dismissed as "absolute nonsense" by Iraqi presidential advisor Amir Sa'adi.

He said any weapons that existed had already been declared and then destroyed under UNSCOM's supervision.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
Q: "Sir, from what you have heard of Mr Butler's comments, what effect do you think those comments have had on the ongoing diplomatic process?"
A: "Well, he is just acting like a U-S or British politician, just exerting maximum pressure, and provoking things, and beating the drums of war."
SUPER CAPTION: Amir al Sa'adi, Presidential Advisor

Al Sa'adi also disputed reports in the "U-S News and World Report" that Iraq had smuggled many of its weapons to neighbouring Arab countries for safekeeping.

He said his country had no weapons of mass destruction to hide and denounced the report as "silly" and "unreasonable".

Al Sa'adi also denied claims - made by Butler - that Iraq's Foreign Minister Tareq Aziz once described the country's presidential palaces as "absolutely forbidden".

He said Aziz, in a meeting with Butler, had in fact pleaded for a postponement on discussions about the presidential sites.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
"Butler referred to quoting Tareq Aziz when he asked for access to presidential sites. He said that Tareq Aziz said that these sites are absolutely forbidden, you cannot enter them. I was present. Mr Tareq Aziz's last words were 'Let us postpone discussing this problem until after the technical evaluation meeting is finished, and if there is need for inspection, we will talk about it then.' He did not say what Butler claimed that Tareq Aziz had said."
SUPER CAPTION: Amir al Sa'adi, Presidential Advisor

Al Sa'adi said Iraq had worked with UNSCOM since 1994 to put elaborate monitoring systems in place, including checks on its imports and exports.

And he added the U-S and Britain would undermine UNSCOM's work if they decided to launch military action against his country.

When asked if the Iraqi government was open to an inspection of at least some of the restricted sites, Al Sa'adi would not rule anything out.

SOUNDBITE: (English)
Q: "Is the Iraqi government open to inspection of at least part of those restricted sites?"
A: "We are flexible."
Q: "This is rather important, are you saying when you said 'I would be concerned that military action will disrupt UNSCOM's work,' that that would be the result of an attack, or are you saying that your government might feel that it would have to disrupt it?"
A: "I meant exactly that the military attack would practically destroy the system which relies on communication, cameras, sensors, etc."
Q: "You will not disrupt that?
"A: "Of course not. It has not happened before."
SUPER CAPTION: Amir al Sa'adi, Presidential Advisor


Iraq's long-range missiles and weapons of mass destruction.

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