UN arms experts found 3,000 undisclosed documents apparently relating to nuclear weapons technology in an Iraqi scientist's home, atomic agency chief Mohammed ElBaradei said.
Speaking in an interview with CNN, ElBaradei questioned why the Iraqis had not told of the documents, and warned inspectors searching for weapons of mass destruction would continue to raid private homes despite protests.
"We haven't received these original documents before and that's precisely the point we have been emphasising, Iraq should be pro-active, we shouldn't find these document on our own," he said.
The documents were found at the home of a senior Iraqi scientist on Thursday in the first raid of its kind.
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief said the documents, which were being translated from Arabic, dated from the 1980s and referred to "laser technology used for enriching uranium ... to make a nuclear bomb."
But he added that "we know they have not gone that far" in making a nuclear bomb. ElBaradei also warned there would be more surprise raids if the Iraqis continued to conceal information.
"They (Iraq) have to come up with evidence on their own, otherwise we will continue to go to different sites, different locations, private homes, factories," ElBaradei said.
"We need to unearth all the facts before we report to the Security Council." (Albawaba.com)
© 2003 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
