COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION CENTRE FACTS ABOUT IRAQ Scott Ritter In Quotes

Scott Ritter was a senior member of UNSCOM from 1991 until his resignation in 1998. He took part in 30 inspections inside Iraq, including 14 as team leader.

Mr Ritter’s recent statements contradict everything he said while he was working as a weapons inspector for UNSCOM.

Mr Ritter’s statements also run contrary to the findings in March 1999 of a UN panel of 22 independent disarmament experts who concluded that serious gaps remain in Iraq’s declarations on chemical and biological weapons and ballistic missiles, such as Iraq’s failure to tell the truth over its production and weaponisation of VX. These are not trivial points but potentially horrific capabilities that threaten the security of the entire region.

Each of us will have to make up our own mind why Mr Ritter has changes his views. Certainly his change of heart cannot be accounted for by any disarmament progress since he left UNSCOM. Perhaps we should start by asking ourselves how he now makes a living.

“Iraq has positioned itself today that once effective inspection regimes have been terminated, Iraq will be able to reconstitute the entirety of its former nuclear, chemical and ballistic missile delivery system capabilities within a period of six months.” (Testimony to US Senate Committee, 3 September 1998)

“I think it’s imperative that people understand that there are no weapons of mass destruction left in Iraq. That there are no production facilities capable of producing weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. “ (Australian Broadcasting Corporation interview, 3 August 2000)

“Iraq, today, is not disarmed, and remains an ugly threat to its neighbors and to world peace. Those Americans who think that this is important and that something should be done about it have to be deeply disappointed in our leadership.” (Testimony to US Senate Committee, 3 September 1998)

“The truth is, Iraq is not a threat to its neighbors and it is not acting in a manner which threatens anyone outside its borders. Military action against Iraq cannot be justified.” (Address to Iraqi MPs in Baghdad, 8 September 2002)

The Iraqis opted to play lip-service to compliance. They said that they would accept the provisions of the Security Council Resolution, yet at the same time they accepted it, in April, 1991, there were high-level meetings in which Iraq made strategic plans for concealing the existence of their entire biological weapons program, their entire nuclear weapons program, the bulk of their modern chemical weapons production program, and their entire indigenous missile production capability. (PBS interview, 1999)

“The inspectors were able to do their task of disarming Iraq without any obstruction by Iraq….Let's keep in mind that from 1994 to 1998, the weapons inspectors carried out ongoing monitoring inspections of the totality of Iraq's industrial infrastructure. And at no time did Iraq obstruct this work. “ (CNN interview, 8 September 2002)

Richard Butler is an “honest, objective, independent United Nations official” (NBC Interview, 1999)

“Richard Butler on the other hand is contradictable across the board”…”Kaidia Hamza and Richard Butler are a fraud and a liar respectively” (Radio 4 Today interview, 16 September 2002)