Ex-Official: Russia Moved Saddam's WMDs

Newsmax ^ | Feb. 18 2006 | Kenneth R. Timmerman

[Tut]

Ex-Official: Russia Moved Saddam's WMDs

A top Pentagon official who was responsible for tracking Saddam Hussein's weapons programs before and after the 2003 liberation of Iraq, has provided the first-ever account of how Saddam Hussein "cleaned up" his weapons of mass destruction stockpiles to prevent the United States from discovering them.

"The short answer to the question of where the WMDs Saddam bought from the Russians went was that they went to Syria and Lebanon," former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense John. A. Shaw told an audience Saturday at a privately sponsored "Intelligence Summit" in Alexandria, Va. (www.intelligencesummit.org)

"They were moved by Russian Spetsnaz (special forces) units out of uniform, that were specifically sent to Iraq to move the weaponry and eradicate any evidence of its existence," he said.

Shaw has dealt with weapons-related issues and export controls as a U.S. government official for 30 years, and was serving as deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security when the events he described today occurred.

He called the evacuation of Saddam's WMD stockpiles "a well-orchestrated campaign using two neighboring client states with which the Russian leadership had a long time security relationship."

[Tut]

Some subjects just won't go away.

[dixiechick2000]

True dat.

[oolatec]

And the Administration isn't telling us this, because? And aside from this guy's word, what proof is there?

[marron]

If they were in Syria, then they weren't available to use against our troops.

Getting Saddam to agree to this may have been one of the greatest coups of the war.

[billhilly]

That is the best story published in Newsmax in years. Timmerman is a blue chip guy.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

"We didn't fly to Baghdad to drink coffee"

[jazusamo]

This subject not only won't go away, it is definitely growing. There's more people coming forward. I've never heard of Shaw but if McInerney is backing him, I tend to go along. I think he's a straight shooter. The other guy that was H&C the other night is supposed to be back on Monday night, it might be very interesting.

[Names Ash Housewares]

"Tierney said, the plasma uranium programs Saddam discussed with his aids as ongoing operations in 2000 had been dismissed as "old programs" disbanded years earlier, according to the final CIA report on Iraq's weapons programs, presented in 2004 by the Iraq Survey Group.

"When I first heard those tapes" about the uranium plasma program, "it completely floored me," Tierney said."


If the tapes prove this, that should make some headlines. I hope.

[taxesareforever]

Oh no. There goes our U.S./Russian relations. Oh, that's right, we really never had any with the muslim supporting Russians anyway.

[joseph20]

There is the claim made that, during the Cold War, we backed Iraq and the Soviet Union backed Iran. According to this claim, we are the ones that enabled Saddam to obtain WMDs.

So if that is true, why would Russia be giving WMDs to Iraq? Historically, hasn't Russian been against Iraq and for Iran?

I am confused on this claim that the Russians gave WMDs to Iraq.

[MJY1288]

The simple fact is that at one time the WMD's were there, we destroyed lots of them after the Gulf War. Today we here tapes in the mid 1990's that discuss hiding them (After the Gulf War) and yet the drum beat we here form the Democrats is that Saddam is a victim of George W. Bush and the lies he told about Saddam's WMD's.

This argument has never passed the smell test with me, and I totally believe that Saddam had help with removing or hiding his WMD's, and anyone who thinks otherwise is simply a partisan who is incapable of putting his/her Country ahead of his/her politics.

Saddam Hussein has adopted the DNC's talking points as part of his defense strategy as he stands trial of the countless War Crimes he is GUILTY of. I will bet that Saddam's defense team will place the Abu Graib photo's as part of his defense by saying that AMERICA is the true butcher of the Iraqi People as he demands to get his Country back, and Kofi Annan will be the first to publicly declare that the United States is the bad guy

[bybybill]

The big question is why the Bush Administration isn`t talking about this. Can`t understand?

[Anti-Bubba182]

"..Shaw suggested that the answer of why the Bush administration had systematically "ignored Russia's involvement" in evacuating Saddam's WMD stockpiles "could be much bigger than anyone has thought," but declined to speculate what exactly was involved.

Retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Thomas McInerney was less reticent. He thought the reason was Iran.

"With Iran moving faster than anyone thought in its nuclear programs," he told NewsMax, "the administration needed the Russians, the Chinese and the French, and was not interested in information that would make them look bad.".."

This will bite us on the ass if we have to go against Iran and the Russians don't back us. It is cynicism at its worst. We won't have most Americans behind this and cannot count on the Russians.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

Ex-spy finger Russians on WMD (Ion Mihai Pacepa, 2003)

[wingman1]

Iraq was armed by the Soviets, and were still a major factor during the first Gulf War - which is why I believe it was out of deference to them that we did not pursue the enemy and destroy them.

[operation clinton cleanup]

I wish I could find the quote, but in early 2003 Putin said something to the affect of "Let the Americans invade, they will find no WMD".

[Just mythoughts]

Where does Jay Rockefeller fit in the story and what was his purpose visiting Syria (Jordan and Saudi Arabia) in early 2002?

[joseph20]

I don't necessarily disbelieve you. But would you be able to provide a source for that? Or, would anyone else here vouch for that claim? Or could you provide more details?

[endthematrix]

Diplomatic SNAFU. You don't make waves when wanting to cut nuclear weapons with Russia.

IMO there's sat imagery and other intel.