Iraq's declaration of weapons of mass destruction, submitted to the United Nations, may embarrass some of the members of the Security Council.

In a 12,000 page report, Iraq has mentioned the companies and countries from where it imported materials for the weapons. It also mentions the foreign assistance received for these projects.

Foreign suppliers had provided information about the materials supplied on the condition that their names will not be disclosed. The names, however, may no longer remain a secret once all the council members get the declaration.

Whether the inspectors will edit the information before distributing the report to the members of the council is not known. Earlier, all 15 members of the council had unanimously decided to let inspectors edit any parts that described the methods of producing weapons. All the members were supposed to get a copy of the report.

The nine-page index of the report contains information about the efforts made by Iraq to produce nuclear, chemical and biological weapons as also a radiation bomb and long-range missiles.

Meanwhile, resentment is brewing within the Security Council after its president Alfonso Valdivieso handed over the first copy of the uncensored version of the declaration to the United States without giving copies to the other members. The others have criticised Valdivieso, who is Colombia's ambassador to the UN, for denying them access to the copy. The decision to allow the US to make copies of the dossier and distribute it to the other four permanent members has also been sharply criticised.

Valdivieso acknowledged that his government had made a "political decision" to give the uncensored copy to Washington. He waved aside objections from the non-permanent council members.

PTI