US Says Discovery of Iraqi Chemical Warheads 'Troubling'

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Saturday, January 18, 2003

US Says Discovery of Iraqi Chemical Warheads 'Troubling'

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The United States said Friday that the discovery of 12 empty chemical warheads in Iraq is "troubling and serious," accusing Baghdad of failing to list those weapons in its declaration submitted to the United Nations in December.

"The chemical warheads found by the inspectors were not on the declared list of weapons that Iraq issued just one month ago," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer told reporters.

"The fact that Iraq is in possession of undeclared chemical warheads, which the United Nations says are in excellent condition, is troubling and serious," he added.

"Under the UN resolution, (Iraqi President) Saddam Hussein has an obligation to disarm. It is becoming increasingly clear that he is not doing so," the spokesman said.

Addressing a regular briefing Friday, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher stressed that the UN weapons inspectors have complained that Baghdad has failed to fully cooperate with inspectors in a number of areas relating to the implementation of UN Security Council resolutions.

"There's no point in continuing forever... if Iraq is not cooperating," Boucher said.

UN weapons inspectors said Thursday that they found 12 empty chemical warheads in southern Iraq when they searched a bunker built in late 1990s.

The Iraqi authorities claimed that they had already listed the warheads as old artillery weapons in its 12,000-page declaration about its weapons program.

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