January Inspection Update
Reviews access, interviews and unresolved disarmament questions.
Permanent historical records · Updated 2026-11-03
2003 in Sweden
Explore 40 historical events and records for Sweden in 2003.
Historical records for Sweden in 2003
Sorted by month and day. Records with no month are shown last. Showing 40 of 40 unique records.
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January
Security Council Inspection Briefing
Briefs the Security Council on the developing inspection process.
Baghdad High-Level Inspection Talks Begin
Begins two days of talks with Iraqi officials alongside Mohamed ElBaradei to review inspections and seek stronger practical cooperation.
Baghdad Cooperation Statement
Agrees a joint statement with Iraqi representatives setting out practical steps intended to improve cooperation with UNMOVIC and IAEA inspectors.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Reports Iraq has yet to demonstrate a "genuine acceptance" of United Nations weapons inspections
Iraq Cooperation Assessment
Says important Iraqi disarmament questions remain unresolved.
Sixty-Day Inspection Update
Provides the Council's sixty-day update on resumed inspections.
United Nations
Reports Iraq has yet to demonstrate a "genuine acceptance" of United Nations weapons inspections
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)
The United Nations weapons inspectors report that they had found no indication that Iraq possessed nuclear weapons or an active program
February
Second Baghdad Inspection Mission Begins
Returns to Baghdad with Mohamed ElBaradei for further discussions focused on unresolved chemical, biological and missile disarmament questions.
Iraqi Disarmament Papers Reviewed
Reviews papers supplied by Iraq on unresolved weapons issues but finds that they do not provide the new evidence needed to close major questions.
Aerial Surveillance Access Report
Tells the Security Council that Iraq has accepted aerial-surveillance arrangements that strengthen inspectors' ability to monitor sites across the country.
Anthrax Accounting Concern
Highlights unresolved questions about Iraq's past anthrax programme because documentation does not yet establish what happened to all declared quantities.
February Security Council Report
Reports again to the Security Council on Iraqi cooperation.
Four Hundred Inspection Milestone
Reports that inspection teams have completed more than four hundred visits to about three hundred sites, generally receiving prompt access.
Inspection Cooperation Update
Notes improved access while outstanding disarmament issues remain.
Private Scientist Interview Assessment
Reports that Iraq has begun accepting interviews with scientists without government witnesses, improving an important inspection procedure.
United Nations
Blix claims that "If Iraq had provided the necessary cooperation in 1991, the phase of disarmament -- under resolution 687 -- could have been short and a decade of sanctions could have been avoided"
VX Documentation Concern
Identifies continuing uncertainty over Iraq's VX nerve-agent work and asks for documentary or material evidence capable of resolving the discrepancy.
March
Al Samoud 2 Destruction Begins
Supervises the start of destruction of Iraq's Al Samoud 2 missiles.
Missile Destruction Supervised
UNMOVIC identifies the missile system as exceeding the permitted range.
Accelerated Iraqi Cooperation Assessment
Acknowledges a recent acceleration in Iraqi initiatives while cautioning that the value of new information still requires careful verification.
Five Hundred Fifty Inspection Milestone
Reports that inspectors have carried out more than 550 inspections at roughly 350 sites since returning to Iraq in November.
March Inspection Assessment
Reports accelerated Iraqi initiatives but continuing unresolved disarmament questions.
No-Notice Access Assessment
States that inspections are being conducted without advance notice and that access has been prompt in virtually every case.
Twelfth Quarterly Report
Presents UNMOVIC's twelfth quarterly report to the Council.
Remaining Disarmament Tasks Defined
The document identifies key remaining Iraqi disarmament tasks.
Work Programme Submitted
Submits UNMOVIC's draft work programme to the Security Council.
Inspectors Withdraw from Iraq
Withdraws UNMOVIC personnel from Iraq before the invasion.
UNMOVIC Evacuation
Inspection operations end one day before armed action begins.
Security Council Presentation
Explains remaining inspection tasks despite the withdrawal from Iraq.
Work Programme Briefing
Briefs the Security Council on UNMOVIC's draft work programme.
April
Treaty of Accession
Persson backs Sweden's participation in the treaty enabling the European Union's major 2004 enlargement.
UNMOVIC Return Readiness Briefing
Tells the Security Council that meaningful verification would require inspectors to return physically to Iraq rather than rely on remote document review.
June
Final Security Council Briefing
Gives his final Security Council briefing as UNMOVIC chairman.
Thirteenth Quarterly Report
States inspectors found no evidence of resumed prohibited weapons programmes.
UNMOVIC Chairmanship Concludes
Completes his term as UNMOVIC Executive Chairman after leading the commission through the final pre-war inspection phase in Iraq.
July
WMD Commission Chairmanship Announced
Accepts the chairmanship of a new independent commission intended to develop proposals on disarmament and non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
December
WMD Commission Membership Announced
Presents the fourteen-member Weapons of Mass Destruction Commission and outlines the principal questions its international membership will examine.
Other events (month unknown)
United Nations
During the Iraq disarmament crisis before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Blix is called back from retirement by United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan to lead the United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission in charge of monitoring Iraq
How these records were prepared
Generated from the World History Database historical_events table. Identical display records are collapsed; descriptions otherwise retain the stored text. Coverage and source quality vary. Check primary and specialist sources before citing individual historical claims.