U.N. Inspector Reports Iraqi Death Threats

MANAMA, Bahrain —  A U.N. team inspecting Iraq for weapons was harassed and even threatened with death despite official assurances they would be safe, the chief inspector said Friday.

“In the beginning they assured us that they will see that the team operates in a safe environment,” Nikita Smidovich said as he arrived in Bahrain with his 50-strong team after two weeks in Iraq.

“Unfortunately, there was a denial of room service to the members. One night there was a physical attack on the inspectors, and then there were threatening notes.”

He said the anonymous notes were slipped under the doors of several team members “threatening to kill people.”

Last year, the U.N. Security Council demanded that Iraq provide safety and all support requested by the U.N. Special Commission, which is overseeing the elimination of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

Smidovich’s team is the 45th and largest sent by the commission.