Disarmament Documentation

I refer to the letter I addressed to you on 1 October 2004 (S/2004/786), constituting the semi-annual report requested by the Security Council in resolution 1051 (1996). In that letter, States were reminded of their obligation to inform the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about items listed in annex 3 to the IAEA ongoing monitoring and verification plan (S/2001/561).

Consequent to that reminder, IAEA received the attached letter dated 10 October 2004 from the General Director of the Planning and Following Up Directorate of the Iraqi Ministry of Science and Technology. In that letter, the Iraqi authorities informed IAEA of the loss "after 9 April 2003, through the theft and looting of the governmental installations due to lack of security", of high explosives, relevant to annex 3, that had been subject to IAEA monitoring. The explosives in question are given as: HMX (195 tons), which had been under IAEA seal, and RDX (141 tons) and PETN (6 tons), both subject to regular monitoring of stock levels. The presence of these amounts was verified by IAEA in January 2003.

Following a preliminary verification of the letter's authenticity through the Iraqi Permanent Mission in Vienna, IAEA on 15 October 2004 informed the Multinational Force (MNF), as the body entrusted by the Security Council in resolution 1546 (2004) with the authority to take all necessary measures to contribute to the maintenance of security and stability in Iraq, about this matter. This was with a view to providing MNF and the Iraqi Interim Government with an opportunity to attempt to recover the explosives before this matter was put into the public domain. However, as you are aware, the matter has been given media coverage today.

I should therefore be grateful if you would arrange for this letter to be distributed as a document of the Security Council.

(Signed) Mohamed ElBaradei

Enclosure