Posted on 09/11/2004 11:18:14 PM PDT by ETERNAL WARMING
Source this please. I've seen missles represented as new on the tv. Dated 2003.
OK, fine...Then how about a surgical air strike?
But aside from that, have French companies been complicit in the Oil for Food scandal and in selling arms and precursors to Iraq even as recently as spring of 2003? The answer is yes. Have French weapons been found from recent production runs? Yes. Could the weapons have been sold legitimately to others and then resold to Iraq? Undoubtedly- that's how Iraq obtained many items while under sanctions. Whether or not the manufacturer knew the ultimate destination is a matter for the courts.
There have been missiles, rockets, shells, etc found with the original "packaging" and on that packaging is the usual manufacturers' information.
Though he doesn't mention it here, the binary chemical shell used in the botched attack on us troops by people who weren't aware of what it was ... was of much more recent manufacture than the first Gulf War. It was circa 1996.
Also, it's not just coming from Gertz now. Oil for Food program is a treasure trove of info and is backing Gertz. I have seen pics of crates of mortars and rockets with mid '90's dates. The latest I saw was '98. We know they got weapons during the embargo, but they are just saying they were smuggled in. This was much bigger. It had to be done with the knowledge of the UN and ergo, permission.
That was the missile tube. The canister was carrying non-standard markings that neither the Germans or France label them with. This was asessed as being the Iraqi markings for an issue or upgrade. KND 2003 was applied by the Iraqis themselves. The Al Kindi missile plant refurbished missiles and was inspected by UNSCOM in regards to SA-2 missile engines. The real clue to them being from the 1980s deliveries was the missiles themselves. All the Roland missiles found in Iraq carried full production marking tags. The Poles who found a Roland cache snipped off the missile tags. All serials match up with those delivered during the long war with Iran. Even the Rolands found by the US were all found to have been from the 1980s delivery. Individuals who hang on to this story are simply deluding themselves. Same as the story that emerged during 2003 of the Iraqi MiG-25 packed full of newly produced Russian and French electronic reconnaissance equipment. Nothing of the sort was found - The MiG-25 carried standard Soviet supplied recon gear.
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