UNITED NATIONS, Oct 27: Possible degradation or decomposed product of a nerve gas found on Iraqi missile warheads by American, French and Swiss laboratories could have come from deadly VX or Sarin, United Nations weapons inspectors have reported.The report shows that French, Swiss and American experts differ on the conclusions and arms inspectors are trying to rely more on US experts.The conclusions, which are bound to be hotly contested by Baghdad, are contrary to the Iraqi contention that it could never produced enough VX or stabilise it properly to fill warheads with it.The report submitted to the Security Council by the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) on eliminating Iraqi weapons of mass destruction does not clearly say that the degraded product came specifically from VX or Sarin.The tests were conducted on fragments of war heads by French and Swiss laboratories after Iraq contested the claim of the United States army laboratory that some samples tested by it contained traces of VX,a drop of which is enough to kill a person.French experts say what they found could have come from a harmless detergent but US experts contend that the chemical found had never been used in the commercially produced detergent.The report, which was drawn up after experts debated the issue for two days, says both Swiss and French laboratories found chemicals known to be degradation product of a decontamination compound as well as a large number of samples containing the same unidentified non phosphorous compound which was detected in the second set of samples analysed by the US laboratory.The French experts said this decontaminant could also have been used for the purpose of chemical destruction of biological warfare agents.But UNSCOM experts said according to Iraqi declaration, sampled fragments dug out from the burial site of chemical warheads contained only potassium permanganate or a mixture of potassium permanganate and formaldehyde, used for biological decontamination.These chemicals werenot detected on the first set of samples of missile fragments analysed by US laboratory.The UNSCOM has recommended that Iraq be invited to explain first the origin and history of the fragments analysed by all three laboratories and then presence of degradation products of nerve gas.It also wants Iraq to explain the presence of a compound, known as VX stabiliser and its degradation product, and to provide more information on the Iraq efforts during the period mid 1988 to end of 1990 to develop and produce VX improved ``synthetic routes''.The report said first samples were taken with respect to VX in April 1997 after Iraq declared the VX production facility and the dump site where bulk VX was disposed.These samples were analysed in the US laboratory. VX degradation products were found on equipment pointed out of Iraq and in the soil from the dump site, it added.In addition to these chemicals, compounds known as VX stabiliser and its degradation product were identified in some of thesamples.
