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U-S Obtains Iraqi Weapons Declaration - 2002-12-09


Diplomatic sources say that under a deal struck on Sunday, the United States will quickly make copies of the document for the other four permanent members of the U-N Security Council -- Britain, France, China and Russia.

Earlier, the Council said it would only distribute edited copies, with sensitive material on weapons-building procedures removed. But council members reversed that decision after agreeing that all five permanent Council members already have nuclear capabilities and would learn nothing new from seeing the full document.

U-N weapons experts are already examining the 12-thousand-page report in which Iraq details its nuclear, chemical and biological weapons programs. Iraq handed over the giant document on Saturday.

A spokeswoman for the U-N nuclear agency in Vienna tells the Associated Press that at first glance, it appears the declaration is consistent with Iraq's claim to have no nuclear weapons. But she says inspections in Iraq will be the determining factor.

The International Atomic Energy Agency says it hopes to make an initial report to the U-N Security Council in 10 days. Experts in Vienna are examining parts of the declaration dealing with nuclear weapons while specialists in New York review details about Iraq's chemical, biological and missile programs.

U-N inspection teams visited two more locations outside Baghdad on Monday.One, the al-Tutweitha nuclear complex, was the site of an Iraqi program in the 1980's to produce material for a nuclear bomb. Inspectors have searched the site three times since Wednesday.

The other site was the Fallujah Two industrial complex west of the Iraqi capital, where the inspectors reportedly donned chemical protection suits during a four-hour search Monday.

Iraq says it no longer has any weapons of mass destruction, or plans to build such devices.

The United States and Britain say they have proof that Iraq is lying about its nuclear, biological or chemical weapons, and President Bush has threatened a military attack if Iraq does not turn over all such weapons.

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