POSSIBLE MUSTARD GAS CACHE LOCATED IN FALLUJAH

S E C R E T BAGHDAD 001249

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/19/2018
TAGS: CWC IZ OPCW PARM PREL
SUBJECT: POSSIBLE MUSTARD GAS CACHE LOCATED IN FALLUJAH

Classified By: Political Military Minister Counselor Marcie B. Ries. R
easons: 1.4 (b) & (d).


1. (S) SUMMARY: Following a lead from a local source,
Coalition Forces located a metal tank buried under two
meters of concrete near Fallujah in Anbar province on March

18. A non-intrusive test resulted in a positive reading for
the blister agent mustard (HD). The tank appears to be
intact. Further testing will not take place until specialized
teams arrive in-country. The site remains secured by MNF-I,
while further determination is made on the nature of the site
and USG and/or GOI treaty obligations. END SUMMARY.


2. (S) Acting on information from a local source, Coalition
Forces identified and unearthed a corner of a large metal
tank buried under approximately 2 meters of concrete on March

18. Upon further clearing of the area around the tank, MNF-W
secured the site and ordered preliminary, non-invasive
testing. The testing was conducted on April 8 using a
Portable Isotopic Neutron Spectroscopy (PINS),an instrument
which permits the identification of chemical compounds
without opening the container. The results of the scan
indicated the presence of the blister agent mustard (HD).
This test does not provide any information about the amount
of the chemical inside the container, i.e. traces or
significant quanities. More intrusive testing is required to
determine this. That testing, however, will not occur until
specialized teams arrive in Iraq. The date of the burial has
been tentatively placed between 1991 and 1994, based on
interviews with local residents, earlier reports from former
officials and prelimary observations of the type of tank and
concrete method of capping the tank.


3. (S) On April 21, representatives from several USG agencies
met to discuss next steps. Among the issues raised were
whether the GOI or MNF-I has responsibility for control of
the site, and who bears the legal and financial
responsibility for eventual site clean up.


4. (U) We note that the GOI has passed legislation for
accession to the Chemical Weapons Convention but must await
publication in the Official Gazette before presenting its
accession to the UN.


5. (S) Post will work with MNF-I to resolve the
above-mentioned issues and determine the nature of this site,
i.e., whether it is a chemical weapons cache or a storage
area for hazardous material waste products, how long the
material has been buried, whether there is anything else
buried there, plus treaty obligations for the USG and/or GOI.
BUTENIS