WASHINGTON Ñ Iraq succeeded in expanding its biological weapons
program in the 1990s despite regular inspection by the United Nations, a
U.S. expert said.
Richard Spertzel, a former UN weapons inspector in Iraq, told the House
Governmental Affairs Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation
and Federal Services that from 1991 to 1995 Iraq expanded its major
biological weapons facility, called Al Hakam. Spertzel said the regime of
President Saddam Hussein built additional infrastructure and facilities
under the noses of UN inspectors.
By 1994, he said, UN inspectors ended inspections of sites that had
previously failed to produce incriminating evidence of biological weapons
agents. The following year, international concern over Iraq's BW program
resumed.
Iraq regards its missile and BW programs as a priority and the key to
deterrence by neighboring Iran as well as the United States, Spertzel said.
He added that since 1995 Iraq has attempted to import equipment to greatly
expand its BW capability.
Spertzel said Iraq has retained the personnel for its BW program.
Baghdad also developed the indigenous capability to produce critical
equipment and supplies.
Iraq succeeded in deploying biological weapons in aerial bombs as well
as in the Al Hussein missile fired toward Israel in 1991, Spertzel said.
Iraq was also said to have tested BW agents in 122 mm rocket warheads and
155 mm artillery shells.
"Even more ominous is Iraq's successful efforts to acquire the necessary
equipment and reagents for adding genetic engineering to its BW repertoire,"
Spertzel said. "This was particularly alarming because, at the same time,
key personnel in Iraq's virus and bioengineering BW program were no longer
functional at their stated work locations. There is no doubt in my mind that
Iraq has a much stronger BW program today than it
had in 1990. Perhaps of most concern would be anthrax and tularemia
bacteria and smallpox virus as well as antianimal and anticrop agents."
Spertzel warned that any Iraqi agreement for the return of UN weapons
inspectors would not stop Saddam's biological weapons program. On Thursday,
UN secretary-general Kofi Annan is scheduled to meet Iraqi Foreign Minister
Naji Sabri in New York to discuss the resumption of weapons inspections.
"I would not expect sanctions, smart or not so smart, to have any
significant deterrent to Iraq's continued
development of its BW program," Spertzel said in testimony on Friday. "It
appears that most of the proposals for getting inspectors back into Iraq is
based on the premise that 'any inspectors are better than none.' To be
blunt, that is pure rubbish, just an illusion of inspections."
