U.N. Experts Destroy Iraqi Chemical Plant
U.N. chemical weapons experts completed the destruction of Iraq’s main chemical weapons facility Tuesday, then over cups of tea returned it to the Iraqis.
Although other Iraqi arms facilities remain to be dismantled, the end of the Muthanna operation is a big step in the U.N. campaign to prevent Iraq from posing a military threat in the region.
The facility will be subject to long-term United Nations monitoring to ensure Iraq does not try to revive the chemical weapons program it secretly built up before the Persian Gulf War.
Muthanna was used to produce chemical weapons used against Iran in the 1980-88 Iran-Iraq war.
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