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1991 Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.N. Security Council passes the Cease Fire Agreement, Resolution 687. The resolution calls for the destruction or removal of all of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons, all stocks of agents and components, and all research, development, support and manufacturing facilities for ballistic missiles with a range greater than 150km and production facilities; and for an end to its support for international terrorism. Iraq accepts the terms of the resolution on April 6.
1991 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
declares some of its chemical weapons and materials to the UN, as required by Resolution 687, and claims that it does not have a biological weapons program.
1991 September 30 - Iraq disarmament crisis: IAEA inspectors discover files on Iraq's hidden nuclear weapons program. Iraqi officials confiscate documents from UN weapons inspectors, and refuse to allow them to leave the site without turning over other documents. A 4-day standoff ensues. Iraq permits the team to leave with the documents after a statement from the UN Security Council threatens enforcement actions.
1991 Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.N. Security Council passes Resolution 715, which demands that Iraq "accept unconditionally the inspectors and all other personnel designated by the Special Commission". Iraq rejects the resolution, calling it "unlawful".
1992 Iraq disarmament crisis: The Executive Chairman of UNSCOM details Iraq
's refusal to abide by UN Security Council disarmament resolutions.
1993 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
refuses to allow UNSCOM inspectors to use its own aircraft to fly into Iraq, and begins military operations in the demilitarized zone between Iraq and Kuwait
, and the northern No-Fly Zone. U.S. forces fire approximately 40 Tomahawk cruise missiles at Baghdad
factories linked to Iraq's illegal nuclear weapons program. Iraq then informs UNSCOM that it will be able to resume its flights.
1993 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq refuses to allow UNSCOM weapons inspectors to install remote-controlled monitoring cameras at 2 missile engine test stands.
1993 Iraq disarmament crisis: UN inspection teams leave Iraq. Iraq then agrees to UNSCOM demands and the inspection teams return.
1994 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
threatens to stop cooperating with UNSCOM inspectors and begins to once again deploy troops near its border with Kuwait
. In response, the U.S. begins to deploy troops to Kuwait
.
1994 Iraq disarmament crisis: UN weapons inspectors Ritter and Smidovitch learn, through Israel
i intelligence reports, that Qusay Hussein, Saddam Hussein
's son, is the key player in efforts by the Iraq
i government to hide the country's alleged illegal weapons.
1994 Iraq disarmament crisis: President of the UN Security Council says that Iraq
must withdraw its troops from the Kuwait border and immediately cooperate with weapons inspectors.
1994 Iraq disarmament crisis: Following threats by the U.N. Security Council and the U.S., Iraq withdraws troops from its border with Kuwait.
1995 Summer - Iraq disarmament crisis: According to UNSCOM, the unity of the UN Security Council begins to fray, as a few countries, particularly France
and Russia
, are starting to become increasingly more interested in making financial deals with Iraq
than disarming the country.
1995 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
threatens to end all cooperation with UNSCOM and IAEA, if sanctions against the country are not lifted by Thursday, August 31, 1995.
1995 Iraq disarmament crisis: Following the defection of his son-in-law, Hussein Kamel al Majid, minister of industry and military industrialisation, Saddam Hussein
makes new revelations about the full extent of Iraq
's biological and nuclear weapons programs. Iraq
also withdraws its last UN
declaration of prohibited biological weapons and turns over a large amount of new documents on its WMD programs.
1995 Iraq disarmament crisis: In response to UNSCOM's evidence, Iraq admits for first time the existence of an offensive biological weapons program, but denies weaponization.
1995 Iraq disarmament crisis: With help from Israel
and Jordan
, UN inspector Ritter intercepts 240 Russia
n gyroscopes and accelerometers on their way to Iraq from Russia.
1995 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi scuba divers, under the direction of UNSCOM, dredge the Tigris River near Baghdad
. The divers find over 200 prohibited Russia
n made missile instruments and components.
1996 Iraq disarmament crisis: As Iraq continues to refuse inspectors access to a number of sites, the U.S. fails in its attempt to build support for military action against Iraq in the UN Security Council.
1996 Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM inspectors uncover buried prohibited missile parts. Iraq refuses to allow UNSCOM teams to remove remnants of missile engines for analysis outside of the country
1996 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi forces refuse UNSCOM inspection teams access to 5 sites designated for inspection. The teams enter the sites only after delays of up to 17 hours.
1996 Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM supervises the destruction of Al-Hakam, Iraq's main production facility of biological warfare agents.
1996 Iraq disarmament crisis: U.N. Inspector Ritter attempts to conduct surprise inspections on the Republican Guard facility at the airport, but is blocked by Iraq
i officials.
1996 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi forces launch an offensive into the northern No-Fly Zone and capture Arbil.
1997 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
i military escorts on board an UNSCOM helicopter try to physically prevent the UNSCOM pilot from flying the helicopter in the direction of its planned destination, threatening the safety of the aircraft and their crews.
1997 Iraq disarmament crisis: An Iraq
i military officer attacks an UNSCOM weapons inspector on board an UNSCOM helicopter while the inspector was attempting to take photographs of unauthorized movement of Iraqi vehicles inside a site designated for inspection
1997 Iraq disarmament crisis: While waiting for access to a site, UNSCOM inspectors witness and videotape Iraq
i guards moving files, burning documents, and dumping waste cans into a nearby river.
1997 Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM inspector Dr. Diane Seaman catches several Iraq
i men sneaking out the back door of an inspection site, with log books for the creation of prohibited bacteria and chemicals.
1997 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
says it will begin shooting down U-2
surveillance planes being used by UNSCOM inspectors.
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: The United States Senate
passes Resolution 71, urging U.S. President Bill Clinton
to "take all necessary and appropriate actions to respond to the threat posed by Iraq
's refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs."
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
i President Saddam Hussein
negotiates a deal with U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan
, allowing weapons inspectors to return to Baghdad
, preventing military action by the U.S.
and Britain
.
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM reports to the UN Security Council that Iraq
's declaration on its biological weapons program is incomplete and inadequate.
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: UNSCOM learns that an Iraq
i delegation has travelled to Bucharest
, to meet with scientists who can provide the country with missile guidance systems.
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
officially suspends all cooperation with UNSCOM teams.
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: Scott Ritter resigns from UNSCOM, sharply criticizing the Clinton
administration and the U.N. Security Council for not being vigorous enough about insisting that Iraq
's weapons of mass destruction be destroyed. Ritter tells reporters that "Iraq
is not disarming," "Iraq
retains the capability to launch a chemical strike."
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.S. Congress passes the "Iraq
Liberation Act", which states that the United States
wants to remove Saddam Hussein
from power and replace the government with a democratic institution.
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis begins: Iraq
announces it would no longer cooperate with United Nations
weapons inspectors.
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
announces that U.N.
weapons inspections will no longer take place on Friday, the Muslim day of rest. Iraq
also refuses to provide test data from the production of missiles and engines.
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
i Vice-President Taha Yassin Ramadan announces that Iraq
will no longer cooperate and declares that UNSCOM's "mission is over."
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: UN Security Council members France
, Germany
and Russia
call for sanctions to end against Iraq
. The 3 Security Council members also call for UNSCOM to either be disbanded or for its role to be recast. The U.S. says it will veto any such proposal
1998 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
announces its intention to fire upon US
and British
warplanes that patrol the northern and southern "no-fly zones".
1999 Iraq disarmament crisis: The United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (Unmovic) is created to replace UNSCOM. The U.N. Security council once again orders Iraq to allow inspections teams immediate and unconditional access to any weapons sites and facilities. Iraq rejects the resolution.
2000 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
rejects new U.N. Security Council weapons inspections proposals
2001 Iraq disarmament crisis: British and U.S. forces carry out bombing raids, attempting to disable Iraq
's air defense network.
2002 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraq
once again rejects new U.N. weapons inspections proposals.
2002 Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President George W. Bush
addresses the U.N., and challenges its members to confront the "grave and gathering danger" of Iraq
, or stand aside as the United States and likeminded nations act.
2002 Iraq disarmament crisis: The U.S. Congress passes a joint resolution, which explicitly authorizes the President
to use the Armed Forces of the United States as he deems necessary and appropriate, against Iraq
.
2002 Iraq disarmament crisis: - The United Nations Security Council
unanimously approves UN Security Council Resolution 1441, forcing Saddam Hussein
to disarm
or face ''"serious consequences"''.
2002 Iraq disarmament crisis: United Nations
weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix arrive in Iraq
.
2002 Iraq disarmament crisis: As required by the recently passed U.N. resolution, Iraq
files a 12,000 page weapons declaration with the U.N. Security Council. Although it is supposed to be a complete declaration, it is seen as incomplete by the Security Council and weapons inspectors.
2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: The leaders of Britain
, Spain
, Italy
, Portugal
, Hungary
, Poland
, Romania
, Denmark
, and the Czech Republic
release a statement, The Letter of the Eight, demonstrating support for the United States
' plans to invade Iraq
.
, during world-wide protests against war in Iraq.]]
'' cover]].
2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell
addresses the UN Security Council on Iraq.
2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: The United Arab Emirates
calls for Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to step down to avoid war, a sentiment later echoed by Bahrain
and Kuwait
.
2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: Iraqi fighters threaten two U.S. U-2 surveillance planes
, on missions for U.N. weapons inspectors, forcing them to abort their mission and return to base.
2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: British prime minister Tony Blair
proposes an amendment to the possible 18th U.N. resolution, which would call for Iraq to meet certain benchmarks to prove that it was disarming. The amendment is immediately rejected by France, who promises to veto
any new resolution.
2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: The leaders of the United States
, Britain
, Portugal
, and Spain
meet at a summit in the Azores Islands. U.S. President Bush calls March 17th the "moment of truth", meaning that the "coalition of the willing" will make its final effort to extract a resolution from the U.N. Security Council, giving Iraq an ultimatum to disarm immediately or be disarmed by for
2003 Iraq disarmament crisis: U.S. President George W. Bush
gives an ultimatum: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein and his sons must either leave Iraq, or face military action at a time of the U.S.'s choosing.
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Timeline
