These were NOT stocks. They were the remains of the old Iraqi WMDs.
What you mean stockpiles?
UNMOVIC were still finding chemical munitions in the remains of 1991 bombed facilities.
So there were still stocks?
The Iraqi WMD programme was huge and badly documented.
So there were stockpiles kicking about and no-one knew about them?
UNSCOM had destroyed thousands of tonnes of munitions in the 1990s and their work was not complete. The vast amount had been destroyed, but remnants still remained and were scheduled to be destroyed under U.N. inspection.
Funny, I thought UNMOVIC had been kicked out several times, not exactly in compliance with UNSCRs. I thought they were denied access to several locations, not in accordance with the UNSCRs…etc. How many chances did Saddam need to learn compliance wasn’t optional?
So in other words there were stocks of CW that hadn’t been destroyed in a country that was failing to meet its UN mandated responsibilities. Furthermore the military had produced rockets that broke the ceasefire agreement contained in UNSCR 678 and were still producing them 11 years after the project should have been abandoned?