'Dozens died in Syrian-Iranian chemical weapons experiment' (WMD Iran-Syria)

Jerusalem Post ^ | 9/18/2007 | Staff

[mojito]

Proof of cooperation between Iran and Syria in the proliferation and development of weapons of mass destruction was brought to light Monday in a Jane's Magazine report that dozens of Iranian engineers and 15 Syrian officers were killed in a July 23 accident in Syria.

According to the report, cited by Channel 10, the joint Syrian-Iranian team was attempting to mount a chemical warhead on a scud missile when the explosion occurred, spreading lethal chemical agents, including sarin nerve gas.

Reports of the accident were circulated at the time, however, no details were released by the Syrian government, and there were no hints of an Iranian connection.

The report comes on the heels of criticism leveled by the Syrains at the United States, accusing it of spreading "false" claims of Syrian nuclear activity and cooperation with North Korea to excuse an alleged Israeli air incursion over the country this month.

According to Global Security.org, Syria is not a signatory of either the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), - an international agreement banning the production, stockpiling or use of chemical weapons, or the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT).

Syria began developing chemical weapons in 1973, just before the Yom Kipper War. Global Security.org cites the country as having one of the most advanced chemical weapons programs in the Middle East.

[Right Wing Assault]

Where do I send flowers?

Straight to hell.

[WhistlingPastTheGraveyard]

Syria has had it's own extensive and large-scale WMD programs for longer than Iraq did

UNSCOM supervised the destruction of 500,000 liters of chemical agents alone (a fraction of Saddam's arsenal) in the mid 90s. Find one intelligence report that suggests Syria was ever thought to possess anything close to that. In 2002, the CIA estimated the Syrians possessed several hundred liters.

[Our man in washington]

You’re good!

[b4its2late]

That is sure to put a crimp in someones weekend.....

[xzins]

Syria began developing chemical weapons in 1973, just before the Yom Kipper War. Global Security.org cites the country as having one of the most advanced chemical weapons programs in the Middle East.

Syria and Saddam's Iraq were both led by the Ba'ath Party. They share the same border. Iraq has oil and Syria doesn't.

What's the odds that they didn't cooperate during the so-called "inspections" for WMDs in Iraq?

[ChildOfThe60s]

What are we waiting for?

A-political realities
B-we are stretched very thin militarily
C- "B" is one reason the Democrats have worked so hard to emasculate the military, to limit our ability to wage war.

[SoldierDad]

Shouldn’t that have been “. . . from the lowest level (of Hell)”?

[LibertyRocks]

Looks like Ahmadinejad’s summer surprise backfired, eh???

[kinghorse]

[Thrownatbirth]

...dozens of Iranian engineers

GWU grads from the 70's. They cheated remorselessly and I always hoped it would catch up with them. :-)

[AmericanVictory]

The strategy of the left is to tie us up from doing anything about Syria and Iran, because if we do we win the war and they don’t want us to.

[txhurl]

You blinded me with science WMD!

You've tidied up struck again and now I can't find anything!

It's poetry in motion:

When you set your sights on me

I can smell the Chemicals

I can hear maCHINery

[Redbob]

This was on talk radio (Hugh Hewitt?) last Friday.

[khnyny]

Their engineer just aren’t all that good. So sad, too bad.

[AnimalLover]

bttt

[DocRock]

bookmark

[George W. Bush]

Syria and Saddam's Iraq were both led by the Ba'ath Party. They share the same border. Iraq has oil and Syria doesn't. What's the odds that they didn't cooperate during the so-called "inspections" for WMDs in Iraq?

You could say exactly the same for Russia and China during the Cold War. And yet we know that they were far more rivals than allies until the Soviets were approaching their collapse in the Eighties.

[xzins]

Russia and China are not the point. We were in a cold war with them for years, and no one questions the validity of that cold war against them.

My point is that a trade between Iraq & Syria — oil in exchange for weapons storage — would be absolutely sensible. Not only would Syria be able to handle it with no questions asked, but they would also be able to handle it with proper technology & handling procedures.

And not only “could” handle it; they could have EASILY handled it.

[Eastbound]

Crossdressers.

[George W. Bush]

Russia and China are not the point. We were in a cold war with them for years, and no one questions the validity of that cold war against them.

My point was that Russian/China being communist was no guarantee of cooperation between the two any more than was the two Ba'athist regimes in Iraq/Syria.

My point is that a trade between Iraq & Syria...

My recollection is that is was the Jordanians who did much more to help evade oil-for-food restrictions on Saddam. And of course Europe and Asia were the customers and trading partners.