Conscious of Iraq's unique record in this matter and the terrible consequences which might follow if it continued to flout international law, the international community put special measures in place to ensure Iraq renounced these weapons once and for all. In the end, after many years of obstruction and partial co-operation, Iraq refused to co-operate with the UNSCOM inspectors, accusing them of bias and espionage. In response the UN Security Council created a new structure, UNMOVIC, and a new framework for its operation. Iraq was offered an opportunity to co-operate with an inspections process which had taken its grievances into account and offered a clear incentive for co-operation in the prospect of the suspension of sanctions. That was in 1998. It is only now, in 2003, after repeated threats of dire consequences that Iraq has finally begun to co-operate with UNMOVIC and permit the inspections with which it has been long obliged to co-operate.