Iraq to Give U.N. a List of Weapons Scientists

Iraq will hand over to the United Nations in the next few days a list of hundreds of Iraqi scientists who have worked on nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs, a senior Iraqi general said Thursday.

Under the toughened U.N. inspections that resumed Nov. 27, inspectors can speak privately with scientists and workers associated with Iraq’s weapons -- and even take them abroad for interviews. U.S. officials have said they hope the privacy would prompt scientists to reveal hidden weapons programs.

Chief inspector Hans Blix had requested that Baghdad provide a list of scientists by month’s end, and Iraq had said it would comply.

“The list will be ready within two to three days, and it will be sent to the U.N. Security Council at most by Sunday,” Gen. Hussam Mohammed Amin, head of Iraq’s National Monitoring Directorate, told a news conference in Baghdad.

Although weapons inspectors have spoken to engineers and experts at the sites they have searched, their first request to interview a scientist privately was made only Tuesday.

University of Technology professor Sabah Abdul Nour, who had worked on a nuclear program that Iraq says is closed, insisted on the presence of Iraqi officials, Amin said. He said the inspectors have not asked to interview other scientists.

Amin said the U.N. inspectors have searched 188 sites since they began their mission a month ago. On Thursday, they returned to the University of Technology, checking equipment at the chemistry, engineering and computer departments that had been tagged during U.N. inspections years ago.