Iraq Denies U.S. Nerve Gas Charge

Iraqi officials dismissed as an “outrageous lie” a U.S. report that Iraq put VX nerve gas into missile warheads before the 1991 Persian Gulf War. The report prompted President Clinton to say sanctions must stay in place. Iraqi officials told U.N. officials that Iraq wants experts from France, Russia and China to analyze the samples. Details on the discovery of traces of the gas, a few drops of which can kill humans within minutes, will be presented to the Security Council on Thursday when it takes up the U.S. demand that sanctions on Iraq be extended.