Iraq on Saturday completed the destruction of the first four banned Al-Samoud 2 missiles and one casting chamber under UN supervision, UN spokesman Hiro Ueki told AFP.
"We can confirm that four Al-Samoud 2 missiles were destroyed today" at the Al-Taji military facility north of Baghdad, said Ueki.
"One casting chamber was destroyed at another site south of Baghdad," he added.
Ueki said the destruction of Al-Samoud missiles "will continue tomorrow at the same location."
The four missiles were destroyed in a six-hour operation, the first since UN chief inspector Hans Blix ruled earlier this month that the missiles exceeded the 150-kilometer (93-mile) range allowed under UN disarmament terms and must be scrapped.
The destruction process comes at a time when the United States and Britain are massing forces in the region in preparation for an anticipated war on Iraq on the grounds that it is concealing banned weapons and not cooperating fully with arms inspectors.
earlier related report
Baghdad's decision that it will begin destroying its Al-Samoud 2 missiles Saturday appeared unlikely to move the White House, which has asserted that only Saddam Hussein's ouster could dissuade it from launching a military strike.
At a press conference Friday, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said that nothing short of complete disarmament — along with Saddam leaving the country — would stop a US-led strike.
"President (George W.) Bush has always predicted that Iraq would destroy its Al Samoud 2 missiles as part of their games of deception," Fleischer said Friday.
"I think when you summarize Iraq's statement, that in principle they will destroy their missiles, the Iraqi actions are propaganda wrapped in a lie, inside a falsehood," he said.
"The president remains hopeful that war can be averted. The president remains hopeful that Saddam Hussein and his top leaders will go into exile or that he will completely and totally disarm," Fleischer continued.
"Total disarmament is total disarmament is total disarmament" Fleischer said. "It's not a piece of disarmament," "If someone takes one bullet out of the chamber of a gun while they have six other bullets in the gun, they haven't disarmed."
Iraq confirmed Saturday it would start destroying a stockpile of Al-Samoud 2 missiles Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix had ordered Iraq to start destroying the missiles, warheads and component parts and their manufacturing systems by Saturday, after UN experts said the missiles exceeded the 150-kilometer (93-mile) limit set under UN disarmament terms.
Fleischer said that Washington was only insisting upon enforcement of the United Nations' own resolution.
"The UN set out the standard: full, immediate, complete disarmament," Fleischer said "That is the standard, that is the answer, that is what has not happened."
earlier related report
Baghdad (AFP) March 1, 2003
