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Check THIS out:

http://rayrobison.typepad.com/ray_robison/2006/03/russian_scienti.html

Russian scientists in Iraq hide during surprise U.N. inspection

WOW! Sammi found this at the FMSO database of the newly released Iraq Regime documents. It details Iraqi efforts to monitor a U.N. inspection team, break into their personal briefcases (actually says it was complained about but not that they did it), and hide Russian and Turkish scientists. As usual, the parentheses are the translators. CMPC-2003-000776

Mr. General Director of the Office of National Supervision

Subject: Visit of the IAEA team

A team of the IAEA did a SURPRISE (translator’s emphasis) visit today, on the 15th of December 2002, to
1) Oumm Al Maarek Company (Mother of all battles Company)
2) Al Qadessia Company
3) Badr Company

The agency’s team consisted of two cars and 6 members:
1- Philip Coalfield, team leader, English
2- Greg Lavender, English
3- Thomas Moriati, English
4- Franck (family name unclear), American
5- Roy (or Ron) (family name unclear), American
6- Kenneth Phyllis, Ecuadorian

They left Al Qanat hotel at 8:25 and here follows what time they reached the companies and what they did:

1) Oumm Al Maarek company:
The team arrived at 8:55 and did the following
1- Met with the director’s assistant (liaison member) and inquired about all the new buildings (after 1998) and their activities. Then focused on all the mechanical operations done by the company for the 81 millimeter (mm) rocket.
2- Visit the sites containing the manufacturing machines and the steps involved in the production of the 81 mm rocket. They also requested technical drawings for the rocket (copy enclosed with the report).
3- General tour in the factory and checking of the machines, especially the ones imported after 1998 and making a list of equipment present in the Central lab of measurement.
The inspection finished at 11:45 and they headed to Al Qadessia.

2) Al Qadessia company:
The team arrived at 11:52 and from the gate one of the cars left towards the hotel with 3 inspectors: Coalfield, Franck and Phyllis.
1- They visited the company’s factories and its shops, checked its machineries and made sure the machineries present corresponded to the agency’s lists and checked the newly imported machinery (type CNC, 5 pieces) which is not covered by the inspection scope.
The visit ended at 12:55 and all headed to Badr company.

3) Badr company:
Team arrived at 13:00 and visited:
1- Machinery production factory
2- Shaping factory (Cold method)
3- Central laboratory for quality control
4- Building of precision manufacturing
All the old machinery was inspected along with the seals of the double purpose machinery. They also inspected the newly imported machinery, which were not included in the supervision program (except one disclosed in the biannual report).
During this visit signs were put on a large number of new machinery. They totaled 52 and in the building of precision manufacturing 34.
Inspection visit ended at 14:45 and hotel arrival was at 15:15.

Remarks:
1- I was informed by the team leader (Coalfield) that during the past days two clothing suitcases belonging to inspector Greg Lavender and the inspector (probably Coalfield: translator’s note) were broken into and their contents dispersed. They informed the hotel who promised to buy them new ones. But for the inspector the problem is not with the suitcases but the infraction and he does not want to make a problem but requests that this infraction be stopped.
2- When we visited Badr company there were Turkish and Russian experts at the site and they had to hide away from the inspectors. We demand your (General Director of the Office of National Supervision: translator’s note) instructions for what to do in case there is a face to face between the agency’s inspectors and the experts.
3- During his meeting with the general director of Badr company the team focused on how the new machinery is being imported. The director told them that it is advertised in the newspaper and middlemen or equipment agencies apply for the bid. He also told them that the equipment agency for Badr company is Al Ariqa company.
4- A copy of the special instructions for dealing with journalists was given to the director of Oumm Al Maarek company.

Respectfully,

Enclosed: 2 copies of technical drawing (Most probably for the 81mm rocket)
1st signature: Major Ahmad Ibrahim Operations officer.
2nd signature: Not clear.

Translator’s notes:
1) Document CMPC-2003-000776 is made of two reports each one made of two pages, dated 15th December 2002 and 16th December 2002.
2) The first report dated 15th December 2002 is the one I translated. It is interesting for two reasons: 1- It was a surprise visit, therefore the Russian and Turkish experts had to be hidden, and whoever wrote the report is requesting instructions on what to do if the agency’s team comes unexpectedly face to face with them. 2- The breaking in of the suitcases of the inspectors at the hotel. (Was this incident reported at the time? If not, could it be that the Agency intended to show that Iraqis are fully cooperating and had nothing to hide?)
3) The second report also details every move of the team from leaving the hotel to coming back to it. It was not a surprise visit.
4) Whoever scanned the documents made a small mistake. On the computer screen page 2 of every report appears before the first page.
5) Unlike previous typed or nicely written documents, this one was probably rapidly hand written. That is why I could not fully grasp the names of the American inspectors.

Note this is within four months of the start of the war and "poor Saddam" (who the AP reported as frustrated because he was so honest about having no weapons) has Russian experts hiding from U.N. teams. Nice job AP, that is some cutting edge reporting. How is it a clown like me and a dedicated volunteer linguist can find this stuff and the media can't?

globalsecurity.org has a detailed aticle on this inspection. The Badr facility:

"The inspectors then went to the Badr General Company (MIO) and visited the factory and a mold plant, the ministry stated. UNMOVIC stated that the Badr Company was previously involved in the centrifuge program prior to 1991. All three sites are said to have "dual-use" machine tools by the UN."

Now what was that Condi Rice said about centrifuges?

UPDATE: The CIA has an Iraq WMD timeline here.