950809

Ekeus to confirm

Iraq's claim of

destroying biological

weapons programme

UNITED NATIONS: UN weapons inspectors will check the accuracy of Iraq's latest evidence that it has destroyed its biological weapons programme, the UN's chief weapons inspector said on Tuesday.

Iraq submitted a 530-page report to UN inspectors in Baghdad last Friday providing evidence that it has destroyed biological warfare agents and the equipment used to manufacture them.

Rolf Ekeus, who heads the UN inspections team, arrived in New York with the report on Monday night.

"What is significant is that Iraq has handed over the report," Ekeus said on Tuesday. "Now we have to assess the quality of that declaration and ascertain that there are no biological weapons left in Iraq."

He said, he was preparing to discuss the report with the president of the Security Council.

The Security Council imposed severe economic sanctions on Iraq five years ago following its invasion of Kuwait. The Council will not consider lifting the sanctions until it is satisfied that Iraq has destroyed its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programmes.

"We need to verify some of the data and statements on destruction," Ekeus said. He declined to specify which data or statements need more verification.

Last month, after four years of denials, Iraq acknowledged that it had a large biological weapons programme.

On Saturday, Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz insisted Iraq has fully met the UN requirements.

Ekeus said the programme described in the report is "very large and very complex," and will need to be studied thoroughly before a recommendation of satisfaction can be made.-AP