Written question asked by Llew Smith (Labour) on Monday, 28 March 2005, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 6 April 2005. It was answered by Bill Rammell (Labour) on Wednesday, 6 April 2005 on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what material breaches of obligations under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1441 (2002) were perpetrated by the then government of Iraq between 8th November 2002 and 17th March 2003.

Answer: Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what material breaches of obligations under United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 (2002) were perpetrated by the then Government of Iraq between 8 November 2002 and 17 March 2003. [224556] Mr. Rammell: United Nations Security Council resolution 1441 determined that Iraq had been and remained in material breach of resolution 687 because it had failed to cooperate with United Nations inspectors and the International Atomic Energy Agency and had not fully complied with its obligations to disarm under that resolution. The Security Council gave Iraq "a final opportunity to comply with its disarmament obligations" and decided that if Iraq failed at any time to comply with and cooperate fully in the implementation of resolution 1441, that would constitute a further material breach. Iraq failed to comply and cooperate and as such was in material breach at the time of resolution 1441 and continued to be so in the period thereafter.

Secondary information