United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM)

United Nations (UN) inspection agency established in the wake of the first Gulf War to ensure the elimination of Iraq's supposed ballistic missiles and weapons of mass destruction. Unable to surmount Iraqi obstructions, [Page 755]UNSCOM became embroiled in disagreements within the UN Security Council over policy toward Iraq. UNSCOM was replaced by another commission in 1999.

The UN Security Council established UNSCOM in April 1991 to conduct on-site inspections of Iraq's biological, chemical, and missile capabilities. The commission had a mandate to monitor the elimination of any discovered weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150 km, and related production facilities. UNSCOM was also given the task of ensuring that Iraq did not resume the acquisition or production of prohibited weapons. UNSCOM conducted nuclear weapons inspections in Iraq in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The twenty members of the commission held full sessions twice a year in New York to discuss policy and to assess results of the inspections. UNSCOM's executive chairman reported directly to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan. The first executive chairman of UNSCOM was Rolf Ekéus, a Swedish ambassador, who was later succeeded by Australian diplomat Richard Butler.

UNSCOM had an office in New York, staffed by technical experts, analysts, and data processors, and another office in Bahrain, where inspection teams were trained and logistics planned. A third office in Baghdad provided communications support in the field. The commission's operating costs (about $25–30 million per year) were covered by frozen Iraqi assets, receipts from the oil-for-food program, and voluntary contributions from UN member states. The United States and Britain provided aircraft, facilities, equipment, and intelligence about suspected Iraqi weapons sites. UNSCOM inspection teams were staffed by 1,000 individuals from more than 40 countries, although most of the inspectors came from the United States and Great Britain.

UNSCOM's work was to be implemented in three stages, which sometimes overlapped. First, UNSCOM was to gather the information necessary to assess Iraq's chemical, biological, and missile capabilities. Second, the commission was to dispose of any weapons of mass destruction, ballistic missiles, and related facilities, by destroying them, removing them, or rendering them harmless. Third, UNSCOM was to conduct long-term monitoring to verify Iraq's compliance with its obligation not to reacquire banned capabilities. In the pursuit of the first two tasks, UNSCOM launched more than 250 inspection missions to Iraq. The commission never managed to reach the third stage.

Based on gaps in the weapons inspectors' inventory of Iraqi weapons, UNSCOM demanded an explanation about 550 artillery shells filled with mustard gas, which Baghdad claimed had been lost after the Gulf War. The commission also insisted that Iraq report on the fate of 500 aerial bombs that contained chemical and biological agents. Iraq refused to respond to these inquiries, which were later taken up by UNSCOM's successor, the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC).

Baghdad resented the UNSCOM inspections as an interference in its internal affairs. Iraqi president Saddam Hussein also accused UNSCOM of serving as a cover for U.S. spies. Iraqi officials continually obstructed the searches by UNSCOM investigators, deceiving them through false statements and documents. Inspectors also were subjected to physical threats and psychological intimidation by the Iraqis. In one instance, UNSCOM inspectors had to chase Iraqi trucks hauling electromagnets away from a military base, while guards on the trucks fired over the heads of the inspectors.

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