As Security Council discusses next steps, UN inspectors continue arms probe in Iraq

As the Security Council met in New York behind closed doors to discuss the next steps forward on Iraq, United Nations inspectors continued their visits today to various facilities around the country.

According to a spokesman for the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), biological teams inspected the University of Technology in central Baghdad, two agricultural field stations about 45 kilometres northwest of the capital, and sites belonging to the State Company for Drugs Marketing Appliances.

Meanwhile, an UNMOVIC missile team went to Al Mamoun to obtain a sample of the Al Fatah propellant for analysis as a multidisciplinary team inspected the Al Fallujah Ammunition Depot.

A chemical team flew by helicopter in the direction of a site but could not continue due to weather conditions, spokesman Hiro Ueki said.

As for the IAEA, it had one team inspect the headquarters of the Geological Survey of Iraq in Baghdad, while a second performed a motorized radiation survey in the Fallujah industrial area and other areas to the west of Baghdad. A third Agency team inspected the Colleges of Science, Education, and Engineering at Kufa University.