#9
Russian Reporter Sees Nothing Untoward at 'Secret' Iraqi Facility
Tribuna
February 11, 2003
Special correspondent Igor Razumovskiy report:
"America Is Always Lying!"

Baghdad--Our correspondent visited a secret Iraqi facility, where, according to the assurances of US leaders, weapons of mass destruction are being manufactured.

Not even 24 hours had passed after the speech of American Secretary of State Powell in the UN Security Council containing new charges against Baghdad before the Iraqi authorities were giving Russian reporters the go-ahead for visiting previously closed military facilities that have been causing the US Administration particular uneasiness as of late.

We drove out of Baghdad and continued our journey westward. Desert stretched out on both sides of the highway. True, it could hardly be called lifeless. Small farm buildings and even mud-hut dwellings of, evidently, not the most well-to-do Iraqis were encountered now here, now there along the road. In some places small groups of barefoot children were very professionally kicking a ball on an improvised "field". The outlines of combat equipment: battle-scarred tanks and armored personnel carriers and also a couple of MiG-17 fighters at a small temporary airstrip, appeared fleetingly several times somewhere in the distance. Twice we also came across the positions of antiaircraft gunners deployed just a couple of hundred meters from the highway. All this prompted melancholy thoughts. With such combat equipment Iraq appears poorly clothed, barefoot, and absolutely defenseless. Such ancient arms may be seen more often than not as exhibits in war museums, but in no way in position. But the Iraqis accompanying us explained in response to my bewilderment with their characteristic optimism that the antiaircraft guns would shoot down helicopters and unmanned aircraft, and if the worst came to the worst, they could fire at tanks also.

We enter the grounds of a test range in the wake of a cavalcade of Toyotas, Mercs, and Volkswagens that were occupied by a French delegation led by Jeanne Le Pen-wife of the well-known leader of the right. Earlier considered top-secret, this facility occupies quite impressive territory enclosed by what is not, probably, the highest of fences. Nor could you by any means call the security that we saw serious.

Several single-level small structures, and at the fence not far from the entrance to the test range, a large white container. But it was by no means this that has caused all the fuss that is incomprehensible to the Iraqis. Zakiariah Mazen, officer in charge of the test range, shows us a building berth for missile testing. It is in the very center of the test range on a kind of podium and resembles the skeleton of a building under construction. About 300 meters away is another, but older.

The construction of the new testing unit, which we approached, began last year. There are still some things to be completed. Nonetheless, this does not prevent tests of units of live missiles. The latest was carried out on 4 February. And, as Iraqi Army officers told us, the monitoring of the UNMOVIC inspectors was so strict, what is more, that, even if this had been the desire, concealing anything would have been very difficult.

But what is most interesting is that the international inspectors, who have been turning this test range upside down since 27 November of last year, have long had the photograph of allegedly new buildings at this facility that was shown to the world by Powell. UNMOVIC teams were here three times in January alone, spending about five hours at a time at the facility. And the majority of the inspectors are by no means civilians, what is more.

The facility is managed by a flagship of Iraq's military-industrial complex-the Al-Karama firm, which manufactures missiles with a range of up to 150 kilometers. The construction of the new building berth, according to Brigadier (a rank between our colonel and major general) Mazen, the officer in charge of the facility, was brought about by the need for increased security. The "podium," on which the new testing unit is positioned, is considerably wider than the old one, this is very important in the event of untoward situations: the employees now have a better chance of surviving.

But the main thing is that missiles can only be tested at the completed building berth in horizontal position. The structure itself bears missiles of no more than five tons, short-range, that is. For testing a more powerful missile a different structure is needed. And the UNMOVIC inspectors are perfectly well aware of this, what is more. According to their demands, the Iraqis are to have given notice of the date of any tests 14 days ahead of time. All the missile's specifications andn performance characteristics need to be communicated. Not a single test takes place without the presence of inspectors. In addition, the Iraqis are required on the basis of the results of the testing to furnish a detailed report with all the instrumentation data.

But even this does not appear sufficient for UNMOVIC. The inspectors are entitled to barge into any Iraqi's private home to check it for the presence of weapons of mass destruction. The officer in charge of the facility described with irony how several days ago they had inspected the home of an ordinary Iraqi family living not far from Baghdad. The international inspectors asked to be shown the larder and kitchen and even inquired about how many plates there were in the home. Plates also, evidently, are a very dangerous dual-use product capable of appreciably increasing the range of the Iraqi missiles.

Incidentally

France yesterday vetoed NATO's plans to defend Turkey in the event of the start of combat operations of the United States against Iraq. Belgium and Germany had resorted to this veto earlier. Paris, Brussels, and Berlin believe that the reinforcement of the armed forces of Turkey would serve as a signal that war with Iraq had already begun. This is why they availed themselves of NATO members' right of veto to block the decisions to reinforce Turkey's defenses.

On 15 January the United States had requested that the NATO Council render rear support in the event of a war against Iraq. Its proposed list includes the use of military bases and the air space of NATO countries and the rear infrastructure and support system and also defense of Turkey as a NATO member against a possible Iraqi counterattack.

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