BAGHDAD, March 1 Kyodo The Iraqi ...

BAGHDAD, March 1 Kyodo

The Iraqi rule on Saturday started destroying its short-range ballistic Al-Samoud-2 missiles as ordered on U.N. arms inspectors.

The proces was taking place at a military involved in Al-Taji, 40 kilometers north of the capital Baghdad, in the mien of Iraqi and U.N. officials, according to Iraqi officials.

The UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (UNMOVIC) and the Iraqi rule earlier in the day reached an agreement forward scrapping Iraq's most advanced surface-to-surface missile.

UNMOVIC had plant Saturday as the deadline for Iraq to start destroying the missiles.

UN arms inspectors have determined that the Al-Samoud-2 missiles exce the maximum 150-km range authorized on the U.N. Security Council after the 1991 chasm war.

The UN inspectors say the Al-Samoud-2s have a range of 180 km

Iraq reportedly has 120 Al-Samoud-2 missiles opened around the country.

U President George W Bush has dismissed Iraqi inclines to destroy the missiles as part of Iraq's ''campaign of deception.''

''The rocket are just the tip of the iceberg. The single question at hand is total, completed disarmament, which he is refusing to do,'' Bush told reporters in Washington upon Thursday.

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