Thursday, April 24, 2003

-Blix:  ‘US Undermined Inspectors’

American officials tried to discredit the work of inspectors in Iraq to further their own case for war, the chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has charged.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix speaks to the media at the United Nations, Monday, April 21, 2003. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

In an interview with the BBC, Mr Blix said American officials leaked suggestions that inspectors had deliberately suppressed information to the media in an attempt to undermine their work in Iraq.

Excerpts of the interview were released just before Mr Blix was due to address the Security Council later on Tuesday in a meeting that could begin to determine whether he and his team are ever to return to Iraq.

http://www.commondreams.org/headlines03/0422-02.htm