Here’s a sentence from Hans Blix’s measured and, to my mind, impressive report to the Security Council:
I might further mention that inspectors have found at another site a laboratory quantity of thiodiglycol, a mustard gas precursor.
Here’s how the U.N. itself characterizes thiodiglycol. It is described as part of a group of
chemicals that have little or no use except as chemical warfare agents or for the development, production or acquisition of chemical weapons, or which have been used by Iraq as essential precursors for chemical weapons and are, therefore, prohibited to Iraq, save under the procedure for special exceptions provided for in paragraph 32 of the Plan.
No such exception has been granted for thiodiglycol. Here’s the relevant direction for Iraq under the terms of the 1991 truce:
Iraq shall not retain, use, transfer, develop, produce, store, import or otherwise acquire these chemicals. Should Iraq require any chemical specified in list B of annex II, it shall submit a request to the Special Commission specifying precisely the chemical and the quantities required, the site or facility where it is to be used and the purpose of its use. The Special Commission will examine and decide on the request and establish the special arrangements it considers consistent with resolution 687 (1991).
This is yet another clear violation of the terms of the 1991 truce, and a violation of Resolution 1441. I’m indebted to blogger Paul Miller for catching it. People keep asking for a “smoking gun.” We’re close to haveing a small arsenal of them.
The Dish 