Iraqi situation discussed by ex-UN weapons inspector

Former UN weapons inspector Dr Rod Barton will discuss Iraq and weapons of mass destruction: lessons for the future at a University of Queensland seminar tomorrow.

Dr Barton will be guest speaker at the Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies seminar on Tuesday, September 19 from 12 noon to 2pm. It will be at the Seminar Room, Level 4, Sir James Foots Building (no 47A).

The lecture wil cover issues including:
• How did some of the world`s top intelligence agencies get it so very wrong on Iraq?
• What should we learn from this?
• And now that the world`s eyes are on the nuclear programs of Iran and North Korea, how do we avoid these mistakes again?

Dr Barton was a former director of intelligence responsible for monitoring overseas developments of weapons of mass destruction.

In 1991 he became a UN weapons inspector, a job that he was to work at over the next 13 years, including as special advisor to Hans Blix and as the senior advisor to the CIA in the futile hunt for Iraq`s missing weapons following the 2003 Iraq war. He has recently written a book on his experiences, The Weapons Detective (Black Inc).

Media: Further information, Australian Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies, telephone 3365 1763.