Saddam Regime Document: Purchasing “Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage” (Translation)

Pentagon/FMSO website for Iraq Pre-war documents http://70.168.46.200/ ^ | January 31 2007 | jveritas

[jveritas]

Saddam regime document CMPC-2004-003406 contains a memo that talks about importing “Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage” from the “Office in Morocco”. The deal according to the memo was based on the “Gentlemen Accord” and the condition was to pay cash and directly but they decided later on to pay it through a Syrian company called Seess and according the “Iraqi-Syrian Commerce Agreement”.

This document is of great importance because the “Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage” are very unlikely to fall under the civilian applications and much more likely to fall under the “Chemical Weapon Usage”.

The page where the memo is written is torn up, only the first 2 paragraphs are intact and it may be an apparent attempt by the Iraqis to destroy this memo either before the UN weapons inspectors returned to Iraq in November 2002, or before Operation Iraqi Freedom stared in March 2003.

Although there is no exact date written on this memo, it for sure written between the years 2000 to 2003 because on the top of the page is typed the year “200..”, it was a common practice for the Iraqis to handwrite 0 next to 200 and have the year 2000 or hand write 1 next to 200 to make 2001 or handwrite 2 next to 200 to make it 2002 etc… and in many cases they hand wrote the dates on the bottom of the letter rather on the top so they leave the date empty on the top and just year “200..” appears. I have observed these writing practices in many documents that I have read.

Translation of what left over from the memo on page of document CMPC-2004-003406

In the Name of God the most Merciful The Most Compassionate

The Republic of Iraq

The Presidency of the Republic

The Military Industrialization Committee

To: The respected Mr. Vice Prime Minister-The Minister of Military Industrialization

Salute and Regards

Date ------/--------/200

Subject: The Morocco Office

1. The above office had earlier supplied Al Rashid General Company with “Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage” per a (Gentlemen) accord and with the conditions to pay cash and directly after accepting the materials (knowing that there was no account for financing).

2. Al Rashid General Company sent the payment contract to the Committee and the payment was transformed from the direct payment to that of the Syrian Agreement and that the Syrian company will be picked by our Committee with all its expenses and in condition to send the same due amount of money after (30) days only.

3. An amount of () dollars was sent to the Seess Syrian company according to our letter…

End of translation of the torn up memo, the amount of dollars paid to the Syrian company is not readable.

[genefromjersey]

Joseph, fyi, there was an agreement between Iraq,Syria,and Jordan (? by memory) to produce "pharmaceuticals". It was an international accord and the UN gave its ooh-ing and aah-ing approval.(English translation was posted.)

I thought it may have been an agreement to "outsource" WMD production, but nothing turned up to support my suspicions.

[jveritas]

Correct and they did other things as well. Also the fuel used in their rockets or missiles were made in Iraq including the chemical precursors to make it and the chemicals that were imported to make the fuel were very much known and publicized according to many documents I read. I doubt very much that the "Chemical Materials for very Special Use" were for rocket fuel.

[MizSterious]

We've got some of those swooners over here? Good grief. Before they say Iraq was better under Saddam, maybe they should experience the plastic shredders. (Feet first, of course, so they can watch their fate--according to Saddam.)

[jveritas]

Thanks Kristinn :)

[1COUNTER-MORTER-68]

TANKS,Ike...

[jveritas]

Correct. There were commercial agreements between Iraq and Syria as well as Iraq and Jordan. I read a document where Iraq imported pharamceutical material from Syria and all these materials were listed by name nothing was called "Very Special Usage". The importance of this document is that it use the word "Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage". The Iraqis very rarely refereed to their Chemical Weapons as "Chemical Weapons" but rather called them "Special Ammunition" or "Special Weapons".

[Anti-Bubba182]

“Chemical Materials for Very Special Usage”

Nerve gas?

[jveritas]

Most probably "precursors" to make Chemical Weapons.

[Anti-Bubba182]

At this point if they found tons of EMPTA, a component of VX Nerve gas, it would not help the political situation for the President.

[Enduring Freedom]

if only the gop cared as much

conservative volunteers are by default having to work hard to support the cause

[Blue State Insurgent]

Jv rides again!

[Jet Jaguar]

BTTT

[jveritas]

You may be very correct and that is really sad. The Iraqis would not have stored "fully completed Chemical Weapons" but rather it was better for them to store all the "Precursors to make Chemical Weapons" first because it is easier for deception and second because it will last much longer than a final manufactured product. They can mix all the precursors to make a final product of a given Chemical Weapon in matter of few days if not hours when they need to.

[jveritas]

Thanks :)