Posted on 09/05/2006 11:49:36 AM PDT by jveritas
Document ISGQ-2005-00023243 is dated September 19 2002 and it is letter from the Chairman of the Chemistry department in the Iraqi Atomic Energy Organization where he is asking to provide him some Chemical Materials that can be used as Precursors for making Chemical Weapons mainly the Phosphorus Pentasulfide that can be used as a main Precursor to make VX Nerve Gas the deadliest of all Chemical Weapons. Other materials on the list like Phosphorus oxychloride, Thiophosphoryl Chloride and Thionyl Chloride that can also be used to make Chemical Gas weapons. All these materials are called the “dual use” where it can be used for some non military purposes but it can be used as main Precusrors to make Chemical weapons. These materials fall under the LIST A of the UN resolutions where Iraq is allowed to import under very strict rules but not to manufacture it.
The important material here the large quantity of Phosphorus Pentasulfide a main Precursor for VX Nerve Gas. In their March 6 2003 report, the UN Iraq weapons inspectors wrote under the VX Gas section that Iraq should “Present any outstanding quantities of Phosphorus Trichloride and Phorsphorus Pentasulfide, or provide credible evidence that all quantity imported have been consumed, destroyed or spoiled”, http://www.un.org/depts/unmovic/documents/6mar.pdf#search=%22UNMOVIC%20report%20on%20March%206%202003%22 (page 85 on UN pdf document).
The translation below include does not include all the materials on the list but shows only the material that are “dual use” and that can be used as Precursors to make Chemical Weapons.
Beginning of the translation of ISGQ-2005-00023243
In the name of God the most Merciful the most compassionate
The Republic of Iraq
The Atomic Energy Organization
The Chairmanship of the Chemistry and Materials and Department
Date: 19/9/2002
Secret
To the Respected Brother Dr. Abdel Satar Al Taa’i.
Subject: List of the primary materials.
In regards to the phone conversation, the local material from the list sent according to our letter 215 on 9/11 were brought back so please replace with the attached list.
With regards
Signature
Dr. Hisham Mahmod Ahmad
Chairman of The Chemistry and Materials department.
Secret.
3. Material: Thionyl Chloride, Description: GPR. Quantity: 1 KG.
10. Material: Phosphorus Oxycholride: Description: GPR. Quantity: 3.5 Liter
30. Material:Thiophosphoryl Chloride. Description: 97%. Quantity: 1 Liter.
42. Phosphorus Pentasulfide. Description: 99%. Quantity: 5,500 KG.
While I appreciate the significance of this document, I have some reservations about it since dozens of commonly used chemicals can be considered "precursors" to chemical weapons. One of the labs I worked in had cautions in place because phosgene was a by-product of our work.
Again, an amazing link.
"Prototype production" is all they need to produce small quantities of WMDs for use by terrorists.
Such small quantities willingly released in aerosolyzed form by a suicidal terrorist could kill 10's of thousands if released in the right venue.
Thanks!
Thank you!
HA! All that would do is start the liberals running around demanding that we sign a non-aggression pact with AlQaeda, too!
The quantity is rather curious.
5.5 kg of the stuff would be on the same order of magnitude as the other items on the list. On the other hand (as someone who used to order chemicals frequently), no one would order a quantity with such precision. The precision is out-of-line with the other items on the list.
Could this be an attempt to "sneak one by"?
No doubt, and I mentioned in my original post that these are “dual use” chemical that Saddam regime was allowed to import under strict regulations by the UN but to not manufacture locally. Anything in Saddam hands will be turn into a weapon, so I will say the probability of them using the precursors to make Chemical Weapons is much more than using it for industrial goals. As you may notice in my post 18, Saddam regime was also planning to manufacture prototypes of these precursors which they were absolutely prohibited to do according to the UN.
Also interesting is this odd statement:
"...the local material from the list sent according to our letter 215 on 9/11 were brought back so please replace with the attached list."
Could "brought back" also be interpretted as "rejected", as in rejected by UN inspectors? Multiple attempts to slip one by the inspectors?
LOL, they already are!
GPR = general purpose reagent
What do you think the numbers before each chemical represent?
I think by the time the letter was written "September 2002" the UN inspectors were not yet in Iraq, they arrived to Iraq on Novemeber 2002 under the new name UNMOVIC. The original UN inspector teams (UNSCOM) were kicked out of Iraq in December 1998, so Saddam regime had almost 4 years to work on their WMD programs, particularly the easiest of all, the Chemical Weapons.
Purity of the material.
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and if that's what they were ordered for, then, per the sanctions, there are corresponding data outlining for what and how much = right? If records can't be produced to balance procurement/use = then they broke the rules...and the UN didn't follow up...(big surprise)
One doesn't need to 'slip one by' those in collusion with them - the only thing the inspectors did with great care, it would seem, is look the other way.
None of this matters since Valerie Plame looked and looked and couldn't find any evidence of it before the war. She even sent her husband to check it out, and all he found was a decent cup of tea.
So, these documents were obviously planted by Scooter Libby.
P.R.O.P.* Ping!
...to Jveritas' EXCELLENT work in translating recovered Iraqi memos and documents from Saddam's regime. This one is especially salient because it concerns dual-use VX nerve gas chemical precursors.
Further indications that George W Bush's administration was right in overthrowing Saddam, as well as their timing being perhaps crucial in prohibiting a chemical warfare candystore opening up for the likes of Alqaeda, Hamas, hezb'allah, etc...
Thank you jveritas!
A.A.C.
PING WA please :)
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