this is getting interesting...

US reaches for smoking gun
By Roy Eccleston and James Bone
March 11, 2003

THE US and Britain are pushing the discovery by UN weapons inspectors of an illegal Iraqi unmanned aircraft, and rocket warheads for germ or chemical weapons, to help convince wavering Security Council members to back a March 17 deadline for Iraqi disarmament.


US Secretary of State Colin Powell said yesterday the allies were now within "striking distance" of winning a majority of nine or 10 votes on the 15-member council, and warned France not to veto the resolution unless it was prepared for a major deterioration in relations.

To boost support, the US and Britain now intend to press chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix to admit he has found a "smoking gun".

The allies want more details of the large undeclared Iraqi drone, which Dr Blix did not mention in his report last week, to prove to other Security Council members that Iraq is not disarming.

As well, inspectors recently discovered a new variety of rocket that appeared to be designed to strew bomblets filled with chemical or biological agents over large areas, The New York Times reported yesterday, quoting US sources.

The discovery of the drone, with a 7.45m wingspan, was revealed in a declassified 173-page document circulated by inspectors only after Dr Blix's report. The inspectors said they were seeking more information.

Mr Powell said the inspectors had found an unmanned aerial vehicle program that Iraq was not supposed to have, because the drones could be equipped to spray germ or chemical agents.

"It looks like it is a prohibited item," he said.

"That's the kind of thing we're going to be making some news about in the course of the week and point this out. And there's some other things that have been found that I think more can be made of."

An explicit report by Dr Blix of the discovery of an Iraqi violation would help the six swing voters -- Angola, Cameroon, Chile, Guinea, Mexico and Pakistan -- to explain a change of position.

Unlike the outlawed Al-Samoud-2 missiles, which were declared as purportedly legal weapons, the drone was not declared. It would be the first undeclared weapons program found by the UN.

Mr Powell said the US also believed the six uncommitted countries should worry that Saddam Hussein's "outrageous" demand on the weekend, that the UN now drop economic sanctions, was evidence that the dictator felt he had already successfully split the Security Council.

Mr Powell said he believed the US was now close to gaining nine or 10 votes, but that he would not be surprised if France used its veto. He rejected a report that Russia had promised not to use its veto, and said it was unclear how China would vote.

In a sign of deteriorating relations with the US's oldest ally, Mr Powell questioned Paris's commitment to disarming Iraq and said it would be unfortunate if France, which is courting Security Council members to back its anti-war position, blocked the will of the majority.

"France would not be looked on favourably in many parts of the world," he claimed.

"And certainly, even though France has been a friend of ours for many, many years and will be a friend in the future, I think it will have a serious effect on bilateral relations, at least in the short term