weapons inspection
Quick Summary
The United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was established in 1991 after the Persian Gulf War to oversee the elimination of Iraq's ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. UNSCOM conducted on-site inspections of Iraq's biological, chemical, and missile capabilities, and monitored for any renewed efforts to acquire or produce such weapons.1
UNSCOM's successor, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC), was created in 1999 with a similar mandate to disarm Iraq and ensure compliance with weapons restrictions. Despite these efforts, Iraq's cooperation was often lacking, leading to divisions within the UN Security Council. UNMOVIC inspectors were withdrawn in 2003 before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. The UN has also facilitated numerous multilateral treaties aimed at arms control and disarmament, including those related to nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons.213
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IraqThe UN embargo and oil-for-food program…UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) to inspect and verify that Iraq was complying with the ban on WMD. By mid-1991, however, it was becoming clear that the embargo would very likely last longer than had been originally expected and that, in the meantime, the people of Iraq needed humanitarian aid. Thus,…
Read More…UN Special Commission (UNSCOM) to inspect and verify that Iraq was complying with the ban on WMD. By mid-1991, however, it was becoming clear that the embargo would very likely last longer than had been originally expected and that, in the meantime, the people of Iraq needed humanitarian aid. Thus,…
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Iraq WarPrelude to war…actually continuing to hinder UN inspections and that it still retained proscribed weapons. Other world leaders, such as French Pres. Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, citing what they believed to be increased Iraqi cooperation, sought to extend inspections and give Iraq more time to comply with them. However,…
Read More…actually continuing to hinder UN inspections and that it still retained proscribed weapons. Other world leaders, such as French Pres. Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, citing what they believed to be increased Iraqi cooperation, sought to extend inspections and give Iraq more time to comply with them. However,…
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