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To: 4figureau who wrote (2901)	1/24/2003 9:22:41 AM
From: 4figureau	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 5423

Iraq 'preparing for chemical war' Iraqi documents obtained by the BBC indicate that Baghdad is equipping key units with protection against chemical weapons. We know from multiple sources that Saddam has ordered any scientist who cooperates during interviews will be killed The hand-written papers, said to have been smuggled out by the Iraqi opposition, refer to new chemical warfare suits to protect soldiers and distribution of the drug atropine to counter the effects of nerve gas. The notes, passed on by the opposition Iraqi National Coalition, also included details for attacking ships in the Gulf. Commenting on the reported Iraqi plans the BBC's defence correspondent Paul Adams says "this is not necessarily true - but it's very likely". "American and British planners have speculated on the possibility of Iraq using drones to spray chemical weapons on coalition troops, but there is no conclusive proof this has been done," he says. Contacts "They recognise there's a real possibility that the Iraqis will try to take them on that way. "Military commanders don't regard Iraq's use of chemical weapons as a likely conclusive factor in the war." The Iraqi National Coalition is a group of former Iraqi army officers who have turned against Saddam Hussein and are now living in exile. The Secretary General of the coalition, Tawfik al-Yassiri - a former brigadier-general - told the BBC's Today programme that the documents originated from serving members of the Iraqi military. KEY DATES 27 Jan - First full report on inspections presented to UN 29 Jan - UN discusses report 31 Jan - Bush meets Blair 15 Feb - Anti-war protests across Europe 27 Mar - Blix submits new report to UN "We have members of our organisation in most of the camps and cities in Iraq, from soldiers to generals," he said. Mr al-Yassiri said the information had been verified through various sources. Iraq's Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard are among the recipients of special suits and atropine, according to the documents. A former arms inspector, Bill Tierney, told Today that "if both these two units have new equipment, then it would indicate that they are prepared to use chemical weapons". US warning The report of Iraqi war preparations is bound to intrigue UN weapons inspectors, the BBC's Rageh Omaar reports from Baghdad. DEPLOYMENT DETAILS 100,000 US troops including: 12,000 4th Infantry division troops 2,000 Marines trained for chemical and biological warfare 26,000 UK troops including: Royal Marines, tanks and an air assault brigade According to a UK Government report last year and UN inspectors' findings, Iraq has undeclared stocks of VX and sarin nerve agent. It is thought Iraq could deploy such chemicals quickly. Meanwhile, the US Government has been stepping up its case for tougher action against Saddam. In a key speech in New York, US Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz recited a long list of instances in which, he said, Iraq was still lying about and concealing its weapons programmes. "Today we know from multiple sources that Saddam has ordered any scientist who cooperates during interviews will be killed, as well as their families," Mr Wolfowitz said. Earlier in Baghdad, Iraqi officials had said they were encouraging scientists to speak to the UN, but six had so far resisted efforts to question them alone. "We did our best to push the scientists but they refused such interviews without the presence of representatives of Iraq's National Monitoring Directorate," Iraq's chief liaison officer Hossam Mohammed Amin told a news conference. The weapons inspectors are due to present their crucial report to the Security Council on 27 January. news.bbc.co.uk