United Nations Special Commission
From Free net encyclopedia
United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) was an United Nations organisation performing inspections in Iraq to ensure its compliance with the policies of the United Nations concerning Iraqi production and use of weapons of mass destruction after the Gulf War. Its director between 1991 and 1997 was Rolf Ekéus and from 1997 to 1999 Richard Butler. After the expulsion of Scott Ritter and his ensuing resignation, as well as the press attention that followed, the United Nations Special Commission was dissolved. The successor of United Nations Special Commission is the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission. Richard O. Spertzel served as its Senior Biologist.
The Committee found evidence from the United Nations Special Commission that Rihab Rashid Taha, an Iraqi microbiologist who had been educated in England, had created substantial biological weapons for Iraq.
Scott Ritter would later say that Operation Rockingham had cherry-picked evidence found by the United Nations Special Commission, evidence which was used as part of the casus belli for the 2003 invasion of Iraq.