Wednesday 19 March 2003 20.48 EST
Article history
One of the UN weapons inspectors evacuated from Baghdad yesterday accused the US of providing the mission with wrong and misleading information about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Speaking from the hotel in Cyprus where the inspectors have regrouped since leaving Iraq on Tuesday, Jorn Siljeholm dismissed the US intelligence reports as "political" instead of factual.
"None of their hot tips were ever confirmed," he said, adding: "I don't know about a single decontamination truck that didn't turn out to be a fire engine or a water truck."
Mr Siljeholm, 48, a scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was angry at assertions made by US administration officials about the extent of the Iraqi arsenal.
"When you find nothing and repeat the hypothesis that
are hiding something, it just weakens the hypothesis," he said.
...
After two days' rest and time to finish their final reports, the UN team will learn at the weekend whether the mission is to be suspended or abolished. Some hope they will be allowed back after the war to complete a final audit of President Saddam's weapons.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2003/mar/20/iraq.owenbowcott