HC Deb 17 October 1991 vol 196 c204W
Mr. Winnick

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what weapons of mass destruction in Iraq have actually been destroyed under supervision internationally; what is the timetable for the remaining weapons to be destroyed; and if he will make a statement on this and related matters.

Mr. Douglas Hogg

We understand that inspectors of the United Nations Special Commission have supervised the destruction so far of 62 ballistic missiles, 18 fixed Scud missile launch pads, 10 launchers, 11 dummy missiles, 32 ballistic missile warheads, 127 missile storage supports, a number of missile related support vehicles, a substantial amount of rocket fuel, an assembled 350 mm supergun, components for 350 mm and 1000 mm superguns, 1 tonne of supergun propellant and 8,100 unfilled chemical munitions. Inspectors have also confirmed the destruction by coalition bombing of several missile repair and production facilities.

Security Council resolution 687 requires the destruc-tion, removal or rendering harmless, under international supervision, of all Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and related items. Iraq's declarations of such weapons have been shown to be both misleading and incomplete. The timetable for the destruction of the remaining items covered by SCR 687 will therefore depend on what emerges from future inspections. The destruction of Iraq's chemical weapons stocks which have so far been found will be a major task and will probably continue into 1993. The International Atomic Energy Agency is planning to destroy, remove, or render harmless in the near future those items related to Iraq's nuclear weapons capability which it has discovered or have been declared.