SMUGGLED missile engine parts discovered by UN inspectors in Iraq may be linked to a long-range missile programme that could provide the “smoking gun” proof of Baghdad’s suspected weapons of mass destruction programme, British officials said yesterday.

Hans Blix, head of the United Nations’ Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission (Unmovic), said in a BBC radio interview yesterday that “large quantities” of smuggled goods had been found. In the text of his interim report to the UN Security Council, he said that his inspectors had come across missile engines that had been imported illegally.

That discovery did not appear particularly significant at the time because the Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, is permitted to have battlefield missiles with a range of no more than 150km (93 miles) as weapons of self-defence. It now appears that the engines may be intended for illegal long-range missiles.

The British intelligence dossier on Saddam published last September claimed that Iraq was secretly developing such ballistic missiles with a range of more than 1,000km (621 miles). The Unmovic inspectors have been searching for evidence to back the British allegation.

A spokesman for Unmovic in New York said that it was not yet clear whether the uncovered missile engine parts were for long-range systems that would violate the UN Security Council’s Resolution 1441 on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction.

In his press conference on Monday, Tony Blair hinted that there would be crucial evidence revealed in a week or so which proved that Saddam was continuing with his weapons of mass destruction programme.

The Unmovic inspectors in Iraq are now benefiting from significant amounts of intelligence from the United States and Britain. It is not clear whether the discovery of the missile engine parts arose from a specific intelligence tip-off.

British officials said that the inspectors were having to work under “Cold War-style” conditions in an attempt to keep their planned visits and methods a secret from Saddam’s security officials.

The US and Britain had been reluctant to pass on too much intelligence material to Unmovic because of the intensive surveillance operation mounted by the Iraqis.

However, special arrangements have now been agreed with Dr Blix, under which sensitive Intelligence can be handed over without the risk of tipping off the Iraqis.

Officials said that the Iraqis had managed to acquire prior knowledge of Unmovic visit schedules and were suspected of moving incriminating material before the inspectors arrived at a selected facility.

Underlining the Government’s apparent growing conviction that Unmovic would find the “smoking gun”, the Ministry of Defence took further steps yesterday to prepare for a ground war against Iraq. About 130 military vehicles, all camouflaged for desert warfare, are being loaded on to ships, bound for the Gulf.

The MoD said that they included Swedish-made BV tracked vehicles for the Royal Marines. Land Rovers and ambulances were also included. The vehicles were being loaded yesterday on to auxiliary vessels at Marchwood military port near Southampton.

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