SC/7590
IK/322
10 December 2002

PRESS STATEMENT ON IRAQ BY
SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

NEW YORK, 9 December (UN Headquarters) -- Following is the statement to the press on Iraq by the President of the Security Council, Alfonso Valdivieso (Colombia) on 8 December:

After consulting with the members of the Security Council, the Presidency decided to allow access to the Iraqi declaration to those members with the expertise to assess the risks of proliferation and other sensitive information to begin its immediate review.

This review will be in close coordination and consultation with United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), and will assist them in producing a working version of the declaration as soon as possible.

The Presidency received the declaration through UNMOVIC and requested its Executive Director, Hans Blix, to make it available to the Council members previously defined.

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