Posted on 12/21/2003 11:51:32 AM PST by Tumbleweed_Connection
While many analysts are crediting the U.S.'s capture of Saddam Hussein for the decision by Libyan strongman Moammar Gadhafi to change his ways, it was actually the discovery by U.S. intelligence of a cache of Libya's WMDs that convinced the duplicitous dictator that the jig was up. According to Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol, "One thing that pushed Gadhafi over the top in making this deal was that we intercepted a ship on the high seas sometime in the summer or early fall that had weapons of mass destruction components being shipped to Libya." Kristol told Fox News Sunday that the WMD seizure, which has gone unreported till now, was "the final straw in convincing Gadhafi that he wasn't going to get away with advancing his nuclear and other programs." In October, after the WMD interdiction, the Libyan strongman permitted the CIA to inspect his facilities on the ground U.S. inspectors were "surprised at how much they were able to see and surprised by how far Gadhafi had gotten, incidentally, in moving ahead on his weapons programs," Kristol said. From that point, disarmament negotiations "moved quickly," he added.
Ahhhh!!! THAT is the question! Prime candidate is North Korea, but one can't rule out France and/or Germany
Used to read a lot of Gilbert Sheltons works back in the so-called underground days. Even ad an ole' yellow tomcat that I swear was one of Fat Freddy's Cats offspring.
I wonder where the next domino to tumble is?
Posted on 02/18/2003 4:47 PM PST by knak
Three giant cargo ships are being tracked by US and British intelligence on suspicion that they might be carrying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction.
Each with a deadweight of 35,000 to 40,000 tonnes, the ships have been sailing around the world's oceans for the past three months while maintaining radio silence in clear violation of international maritime law, say authoritative shipping industry sources.
The vessels left port in late November, just a few days after UN weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix began their search for the alleged Iraqi arsenal on their return to the country.
Uncovering such a deadly cargo on board would give George Bush and Tony Blair the much sought-after "smoking gun" needed to justify an attack on Saddam Hussein's regime, in the face of massive public opposition to war.
The ships were chartered by a shipping agent based in Egypt and are flying under the flags of three different countries. The continued radio silence since they left port, in addition to the captains' failure to provide information on their cargoes or their destinations, is a clear breach of international maritime laws.
The vessels are thought to have spent much of their time in the deep waters of the Indian Ocean, berthing at sea when they need to collect supplies of fuel and food. They have berthed in a handful of Arab countries, including Yemen. American and British military forces are believed to be reluctant to stop and search the vessels for fear that any intervention might result in them being scuttled. If they were carrying chemical and biological weapons, or fissile nuclear material, and they were to be sunk at sea, the environmental damage could be catastrophic.
Washington and London might also want to orchestrate any raids so that they can present the ships as "evidence" that President Saddam is engaged in "material breach" of UN resolutions. This could provide the trigger for military strikes. While security sources in London last night were unable to provide information on any surveillance operation, the movement of the three ships is the source of growing concern among maritime and intelligence experts. A shipping industry source told The Independent: "If Iraq does have weapons of mass destruction, then a very large part of its capability could be afloat on the high seas right now. These ships have maintained radio silence for long periods and, for a considerable time, they have been steaming around in ever-decreasing circles."
The ships are thought to have set sail from a country other than Iraq to avoid running the gauntlet of Western naval vessels patrolling the Gulf. Defence experts believe that, if they are carrying weapons of mass destruction, these could have been smuggled out through Syria or Jordan. Despite hundreds of searches by UN inspectors, no evidence has yet been found of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programmes. A succession of "dossiers" presented by Downing Street has been criticised for providing inaccurate information, with the most recent one subject to ridicule because a student's 11-year-old doctoral thesis was being passed off as current intelligence. There was a further setback for Washington and London when the accuracy of satellite photographs shown to the United Nations by Colin Powell, the Secretary of State, purporting to show Iraqi officials moving incriminating evidence from a suspected site, was questioned by Hans Blix.
Mr Blix said: "The reported movement of munitions at the site could just as easily have been a routine activity as a movement of proscribed munitions in anticipation of an imminent inspection."
Attempts to link the Iraqi regime to al-Qa'ida and other Islamist groups have also been met with scepticism. The UN says, though, that Iraq has failed to account for 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents from the war against Iran; to reveal the whereabouts of 6,500 missing chemical rockets; to produce evidence it has destroyed 8,500 litres of anthrax; and to account for 380 rocket engines smuggled into Iraq with chemicals used for missile propellants and control systems.
Intelligence reports, and some Iraqi defectors, have maintained that incriminating material and documents relating to weapons of mass destruction have been buried in remote parts of the country and have also been hidden in a variety of locations including homes of officials and scientists, as well as mosques. There have also been claims that chemical and biological products have been smuggled into Syria.
Posted on 02/19/2003 1:34 AM PST by lightsabre
Iraqi 'terror ships' at sea By Patrick McGowan, Evening Standard 19 February 2003
Three huge cargo ships feared to be carrying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction are being tracked around the world by British and American intelligence. The vessels, which have been at sea for three months, are believed to be carrying weapons smuggled out through Syria or Jordan.
They are all refusing frequent requests to provide details of their cargo or destination and officials are worried that the vessels are maintaining radio silence in clear contravention of maritime law, which states all ships should be in constant communication.
Despite grave suspicions of what is on board, Britain and the US are afraid to order interception by naval ships because of fears the crews would scuttle the vessels, each between 35,000 and 40,000 tonnes. If they are carrying chemical, biological or nuclear weapons this could cause catastrophic environmental damage.
The vessels have called briefly at a handful of Arab countries, including Yemen, but they have been resupplied at sea with food, fuel and water by other ships. All three were chartered by a shipping agent based in Egypt and are understood to be sailing under three different flags of convenience.
The discovery of weapons of mass destruction would be a huge boost to George Bush and Tony Blair and would represent the "smoking gun" they need to justify invading Iraq. However, environmental concerns are preventing boarding of the vessels, whose positions are provided by satellite 24 hours a day.
They set sail just a few days after UN inspector Hans Blix returned with his team to Iraq to search for Saddam's weapons arsenal. Iraq is effectively blockaded by US and Royal Navy ships patrolling the Gulf and the three vessels are not thought to have set sail from there.
A shipping industry source said: "These ships have maintained radio silence for long periods and for a considerable time they have been steaming round in everdecreasing circles. "If Iraq does have weapons of mass destruction then a very large part of its capability could be afloat on the high seas right now."
In the build-up to possible war in Iraq, meanwhile, another huge wave of British troops flew out to the Gulf today. About 1,000 members of 16 Air Assault Brigade, including paratroopers, infantry and support units, left RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire on three overnight flights. The troops, who are mainly from the 3rd Battalion the Parachute Regiment, based in Colchester, are among the last expected to be deployed to the Gulf region.
A group of 180 soldiers were the last to leave at just after 6am today when they boarded a passenger charter jet before heading off to a secret location. They will join around 40,000 other British military personnel who have been sent to the Gulf over the last few weeks in preparation for a possible conflict to disarm Iraq.
- "Irish link as 'floating atom bomb' is stormed," by Anita Guidera, Kathy Donaghy and Daniel Howden, Irish Independent , June 24, 2003
A 'FLOATING atomic bomb' dramatically seized by Greek forces is managed by an Irish company, it was revealed last night. Acting on a tip-off from international intelligence agencies, Greek special forces stormed the Baltic Sky and made the largest ever seizure of illegal explosives. Senior Greek government officials last night claimed to have foiled a major terrorist plot.
The ship, described as a "rust bucket", had a cargo of 680 tonnes of TNT and 8,000 detonators. It flew the flag of Comoros, a state off Africa's southeast coast, commonly used by shipping companies as a so-called flag of convenience to avoid taxes and other regulations.
According to Lloyds List, it was managed by an Irish registered company, Unithorn Limited, with an address in Sligo. Ship and crew - five Ukrainians and two Azerbaijanis - were arrested and the crew charged with illegally transporting explosives.
The ship was supposedly on its way to the Sudan when it was stormed by Greek special forces. They had been tipped off by Nato naval intelligence sources. Suspicions had been aroused some time previously and it had been monitored by international agencies as it sailed around the Mediterranean for six weeks.
"It was sailing with a cargo that was like an atomic bomb," Greece's merchant marine minister George Anomeritis said.
Experts said a single tonne of the explosive would be enough to blow apart an eight-storey building. Mr Anemoritis cast doubt on the ship's stated destination of Sudan after tracking the six-week voyage in which the vessel roamed Greek and Turkish waters travelling in the opposite direction.
Documents show the cargo was bound for a non-existent company with a post office box address in the Sudanese capital of Khartoum.
The authoritative Lloyd's List said the ship was managed by Unithorn Limited and the Irish company register gives the registered address as Butler Lane, Kiltycahill, Hazelwood, Co Sligo.
Its directors are named as Pearse Christian McNulty of the same address and Niall Brady with an address at Leehary, Crosserlough, Co Cavan.
Originally from Ballina, Co Mayo, Mr McNulty had been living in Spain before moving to the rented accommodation in Kiltycahill in Sligo. Mr McNulty and his late father, Pearse, were well known in shipping circles, according to Lloyd's. It is understood they had an office for their company Cosmo Shipping and Freight Services based in Lord Edward Street in Sligo town. Pearse McNulty died earlier this year.
"It should have left from Tunisia to go to Sudan. It has been seen in the Dardenelles, Bosphorus, Istanbul, the Ioanian and the Aegean. Someone could think there was a probable connection to terrorist or other illegal activities and when it entered Greek waters we intervened," Mr Anemoritis said.
After a combined operation on Sunday involving the Greek national intelligence service and coastguard, special forces frogmen boarded the ship when the crew refused to answer questions over their cargo or destination.
The Baltic Sky was ordered to dock at the tiny commercial port of Platiyali on the mainland opposite the holiday island of Cephallonia. An army munitions team was then called in.
****** I guess we can't ask Pearce McNulty about this anymore.
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