CIA report lists Iraqi violations of U.N.-banned arms

THE WASHINGTON TIMES ^ | 04/11/03 | Bill Gertz

[bedolido]

President Saddam Hussein's Iraq had expanded work on long-range missiles banned under United Nations sanctions and continued last year to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, the CIA stated in a report made public yesterday.

"Iraq has managed to rebuild and expand its missile development infrastructure under sanctions," said the CIA's semiannual report to Congress on international arms proliferation covering the first six months of 2002.

"Iraqi intermediaries have sought production technology, machine tools, and raw materials in violation of the arms embargo," said the report, which was written before military operations began in Iraq last month.

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld said Wednesday that a key mission of U.S. forces in Iraq will be to find out how Saddam obtained banned weapons, material and expertise. U.S. forces have found some banned missiles but so far no chemical, biological or nuclear arms.

The report also said Iraq rebuilt key chemical weapons facilities and, during the first half of 2002, continued to develop biological weapons.

As for conventional weapons, the CIA said Iraq in 2002 continued to buy advanced conventional arms, equipment and technology, despite the decade-old U.N. arms embargo.

"A thriving gray arms market and porous borders have allowed Baghdad to acquire smaller arms and components for larger arms, such as spare parts for aircraft, air defense systems, and armored vehicles," the report said.

The Iraqis also were able to buy dual commercial and military products through the U.N.-sponsored oil-for-food program, the report said.

"In light of Iraq's growing industrial self-sufficiency and the availability of mobile or possible covert facilities, we are concerned that Iraq is again producing [biological warfare] agents," the report said.

New missile-production facilities include plants for missiles and components, including a solid-propellant plant at al-Mamoun.

"Baghdad would not have been able to complete this facility without help from abroad," the report said, without identifying which countries were involved.

However, the report noted that in August 1995, Iraq attempted to buy missile-guidance systems originally made for Russian submarine-launched ballistic missiles. The effort showed "Baghdad has been pursuing proscribed, advanced, long-range missile technology for some time," the report said.

[syriacus]

"Iraq has managed to rebuild and expand its missile development infrastructure under sanctions," said the CIA's semiannual report to Congress on international arms proliferation covering the first six months of 2002.

How can this be?

Containment was supposed to be successful. (/sarcasm)

[Support Free Republic]

Keep Free Republic Rockin' 'Round The Clock!
	Donate Here By Secure Server Or mail checks to FreeRepublic , LLC PO BOX 9771 FRESNO, CA 93794 or you can use PayPal at Jimrob@psnw.com
STOP BY AND BUMP THE FUNDRAISER THREAD- It is in the breaking news sidebar!

[Lanza]

This must be some Bush propaganda going on, because that dude of high integrity and moral conviction Scott Ritter says there are no WMD in Iraq!

[samtheman]

It's going to take a few more days. They are well hidden. But we will find them.

Key Iraqis will lead us to them. Which they wouldn't have been able to do without the Regime Change.

Good thing Regime Change happened.

[LiteKeeper]

bump