The Situation in Iraq 19 February 2003

Key developments 14 February Inspectors report to the UN Security Council Debate in the UN Security Council 16 February NATO Defence Planning Committee agrees on steps to help defend Turkey from possible military attack Meeting of Arab League foreign ministers 17 February Extraordinary Meeting of the European Council on Iraq 18 February EU briefs EU candidate countries EU candidate countries adhere to the Joint Position of the European Council on Iraq

Inspectors Report to the UN SC Procedural cooperation has improved: Access to sites Interviews with personnel New documents have been presented Government commissions have been created to locate the banned weapons Cooperation on substantial issues is not occurring: The documents handed over contain no new information on the weapons of mass destruction Iraq has at its disposal There continues to be a lack of detail regarding the whereabouts of about 1000 tonnes of chemical weapons raw material al-Samoud II rockets exceed the permitted operational range Contrary to the declaration made by Iraq, banned missile testing equiment has been identified

Iraq's weapons of mass destruction Iraq has not clarified the whereabouts of litres of anthrax bacteria, litres of botulin, 1.5 tonnes of VX nerve agent, and 300 tonnes of components necessary for the manufacture of chemical weapons Iraq has not clarified the whereabouts of 6500 chemical bombs, which it had at its disposal after its war with Iran Iraq has not explained the origins of the 12 missile warheads recently found Iraq has not clarified the whereabouts of warheads suitable for use in chemical and biological weapons Iraq has illegally imported 380 missile engines, and tested missiles with an operational range of greater than 150 km

Decision of the NATO Defence Committee To commence planning for the following operations: Deployment of AWAC surveillance aircraft to Turkey Deployment of anti-missile defence systems on Turkish territory Deployment of chemical and biological defence units A separate decision is required for these plans to be implemented

Declaration of the EU Extraordinary Meeting on Iraq Goal: the full disarmament of Iraq Inspections require more time; however, inspections cannot continue indefinitely Iraq will be responsible if it does not take its final opportunity to comply with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions Military pressure has brought results and should be continued A military resolution of the crisis is possible as a last resort The international community needs to be united The EU will cooperate closely with the US to achieve the disarmament of Iraq

Meeting of Arab League Foreign Ministers The possibility of organising a summit of Arab League members states was discussed Consensus has not been reached on a date and notification for the summit The next round of consultations are due to be held on 21 February in Cairo

Positions of the Arab League states Egypt, Saudi Arabia - influence needs to be exerted on both Iraq and the US Syria, Libya - the US needs to be confronted Kuwait, Qatar - have allowed the US to use their territory and military bases Oman, UAE, Bahrain - preparing to offer assistance to Kuwait in the event of a possible attack by Iraq

Latest events in Iraq The US military contingent in Iraq is in excess of soldiers and is ready for military action The state of readiness of the Kuwaiti armed forces raised from the 4th to the 2nd level Iraq's Defence Minister under house arrest, other high- ranking government and army officials also arrested Military units loyal to Saddam Hussein deployed to Iraq's largest cities near the borders of Kuwait and Syria Iraqi intelligence services continue to obstruct the work of the UN weapons inspectors U2 reconnaissance aircraft recommence flights over Iraq

Latvia's position The prevention of threats to international peace and security, and the disarmament of Iraq The strengthening of the international rule of law and the authority of the UN Unity between Europe and the US Support for Latvia's allies

UN SC Resolutions on Iraq UN Security Council Resolution 678 (1990): Authorises UN member states to use to use all necessary means to uphold and implement resolution 660 (1990) and all subsequent relevant resolutions and to restore international peace and security in the area UN Security Council Resolution 1441 (2002): Non-compliance with UN Security Council Resolutions threaten international peace and security Iraq remains in material breach of its obligations under relevant UN Security Council Resolutions Iraq has been given a final opportunity to disarm If Iraq does not disarm, it will have to face serious consequences