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IAEA Says Weapons Search in Iraq Could Take One Year - 2003-01-13


As weapons inspections continued in and around Baghdad Monday, the head of the United Nations nuclear monitoring body has indicated the search for banned Iraqi weapons could take up to a year to complete.

Speaking to reporters in Paris following meetings Monday with the French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin International Atomic Energy Agency director Mohamed ElBaradei said the inspectors are receiving what he called "passive cooperation" from Iraq, but what they want is "active participation."

He also said American pressure on Iraq has yielded results, and should continue along with the inspections.

Mr. ElBaradei and chief U-N inspector Hans Blix are due to report their findings to the Security Council January 27th.

Meanwhile, a team of more than 100 American inspectors arrived in Turkey Monday to visit military bases and ports the United States hopes to use in a possible attack on Iraq.

The United States is seeking Ankara's approval to use the facilities for a possible military strike in northern Iraq that could involve up to 80-thousand coalition soldiers.

Also Monday, U-S and coalition aircraft bombed an Iraqi missile launcher near the city of Basra in Iraq's southern "no-fly" zone. A U-S military statement said the launcher was targeted because it was a threat to coalition forces.

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