Mohammed Atta met Saddam prior to September 11: US official

Some here obviously have a clue, but most clearly don't.

Tell us, oh omniscient clamboat, into which category you fall?

"This report is either completely false, or it is the most pathetically amateurish method yet employed to influence world opinion about Iraq. Pick one. "

You pick it, I don't know. War always involves deceptions and operational ambiguity, especially this one. Sometimes it's not well planned other times it's just made to look that way.

Here's an old piece from the same source about the Prague meetiing:

Ritorna alla ribalta la Praga connection

BY Claudio Gatti
Il Sole 24 Ore
MONDO; Pg. 4
August 3, 2002

Trovano nuove conferme le notizie di contatti tra emissari iracheni e i dirottatori di al-Qaida

Con la Casa Bianca ormai pronta a muoversi contro Saddam Hussein, e quindi alla ricerca di consenso sia negli Stati Uniti che all'estero, e' tornata alla ribalta la "Praga Connection". Un alto funzionario dell'Amministrazione Bush ha per la prima volta confermato la notizia di un incontro avvenuto a Praga cinque mesi prima dell'11 settembre tra il leader dei dirottatori Mohamed Atta e un dirigente dei servizi segreti iracheni.

Potrebbe essere l'anello di congiunzione tra Saddam Hussein e gli attentati. E soprattutto, la piu' valida motivazione per un attacco contro il rais di Baghdad. Pura propaganda intesa a giustificare un'azione di guerra? Il sospetto e' legittimo. Ma sebbene in piu' occasioni e da piu' parti siano stati sollevati dubbi sulla veridicita' dell'evento, i particolari di quell'incontro, di cui

<Il Sole-24 Ore> aveva parlato a ottobre, sono stati da piu' parte confermati. Quel che e' certo e documentato e' che Atta si e' recato una prima volta a Praga alla fine della primavera del 2000. Il 30 maggio aveva preso un aereo dalla Germania per la capitale ceca ma era stato respinto alla frontiera perche' privo di visto. Evidentemente spinto da una forte motivazione, non si era arreso: era tornato in Germania, dove era riuscito a ottenere il visto che gli aveva permesso di raggiungere Praga il 2 giugno. La visita di cui si parla in questi giorni sarebbe stata un'altra, rapidissima, a Virginia Beach, in Florida, avvenuta probabilmente tra l'8 e il 9 aprile 2001. Gli investigatori Usa hanno documentato la sua presenza nella cittadina almeno fino al 4 aprile e di nuovo l'11, quando ha affittato un'auto. La rivelazione di un suo secondo viaggio a Praga e' uscita 10 mesi fa dal ministero degli Interni ceco, i cui servizi di controspionaggio avevano riconosciuto nel capo dei dirottatori dell'11 settembre il misterioso interlocutore di un diplomatico iracheno espulso pochi mesi prima per "attivita' estranee alle responsabilita' diplomatiche", un eufemismo per lo spionaggio. L'individuo in questione, Ahmed Khalil Ibrahim Samir al-Ani, viceconsole iracheno a Praga, era stato espulso il 22 aprile 2001, ed era poi stato identificato dall'opposizione irachena come un colonnello dei Mukhabarat, il servizio segreto di Baghdad. L'autunno scorso il ministro degli Interni ceco, Stanislav Gross, aveva confermato la notizia, dicendo che Atta ed al-Ani erano stato visti insieme da agenti del Bis, il controspionaggio ceco. Altri dettagli non sono mai stati forniti. E forse anche per questo, la notizia e' stata da piu' parti messa in discussione. Ma Hynek Kmonicek, ex vice-ministro degli Esteri ceco ora ambasciatore al l'Onu, ha recentemente dato una nuova conferma. Non solo, pare che i cechi abbiano una fotografia dell'incontro, che sarebbe avvenuto in un caffe' di un albergo di Praga. Ma la Praga Connection non si ferma qui. Ci sono anche notizie, non confermate, di un incontro tra lo stesso al-Ani e un secondo dirottatore, Khaled al-Mihadar. Il che porterebbe a concludere che al-Ani - e attraverso lui Saddam Hussein - avrebbe giocato un ruolo non insignificante nel complotto dell'11 settembre.

<Non ci sono prove per dire che sia stato Saddam a manovrare Atta e gli altri, ma c'e' motivo di pensare che abbia perlomeno offerto la sua collaborazione. Noi sappiamo che il Mukhabarat aveva avuto istruzioni di stabilire contatti con gruppi estremisti e fondamentalisti anti-americani>, dice uno dei responsabili dell'organizzazione dissidente irachena Iraqi National Congress, secondo il quale la collaborazione tra Saddam e gli attentatori dell'11 settembre sarebbe stata coordinata dal generale del Mukhabarat Habib Abdullah al Mamouri, capo di al-Ani e vecchia conoscenza dell'intelligence italiana (tra il '98 e il 2000 era stato a Roma con il ruolo di copertura di preside della scuola "Baghdad").

<Mamouri a noi risulta essere andato a Praga subito prima della visita di Atta - dice il dissidente - Sono mesi che lo diciamo e nessuno ci da' troppo ascolto, ma adesso che la Casa Bianca ha un atteggiamento meno conciliatorio, ci aspettiamo che cambino le cose>. Una cosa e' gia' cambiata. L'Amministrazione Bush ha deciso di trasferire dal Dipartimento di Stato al Pentagono la responsabilita' del finanziamento e coordinamento dell'Information Collection Program (Icp), l'intelligence della dissidenza irachena diretto da Aras Kareem. L'Icp e' la migliore fonte di informazioni a disposizione degli americani. E il fatto che da adesso in poi sara' il Pentagono a decidere quali operazioni finanziare e il genere di informazioni da raccogliere, e' l'ennesima conferma che la Casa Bianca si sta preparando alla guerra. Claudio Gatti

I will be shocked if this is not precisely the case.

If the Atta-Saddam meeting were true, the story would not be first told to an Italian business daily. And it would not be Richard Perle doing the telling.

Actually I would bet he did say this, and that the report is accurate. It shouldn't be that surprising that Perle is coming out with this now - he is actually higher up and more influential than I thought. He is infuential precisely because he is NOT part of the administration. As head of the civilian defence policy board and not subject to congressional oversight, he can get away with expressing opinons and viewpoints that those inside the administration, perhaps, could not.

And he has said this to a European paper precisely because it is the Europeans who must be convinced to ally themselves with the US in attacking Iraq, no matter how tepid their support really is.

I think he is still expressing exactly the sentiments that Rumsfeld and Wolfowitz hold. But when Perle makes a statement that may not be backed up by the facts (Atta met with Saddam), then it is easier for the administration to keep their distance if the press starts to demand proof. In the meantime he has moved the debate further toward the view of the Iraq hawks.

I do not think this has anything to do with laying a trap for democrats or any claptrap like that. Bush and others want to unseat Hussein. If they can enlist democrats to do that, fine. Most important right now is getting the international community to back the attack.

"Actually I would bet he did say this, and that the report is accurate."

Perhaps, you are correct. And the rationale you voiced isn't implausible.

The more likely case, to me, is that AFP (or Il Sole 24 Ore) miscontrued a Perle reference to the Atta/al-Ani meeting.

But we shall see soon enough, won't we?

Let's Roll!

"Ahh, Mohammed, excellent news on the plans to destroy the infidels in NYC. And thank you for the Viagra"

Tom Daschole will be stunned.

Daschole will say that the evidence is inconclusive since Atta and Saddam could have merely been discussing their NFL picks.

A nobody like Atta get a meeting with Saddam. Looks like the case is being nailed shut, folks.

Nope, this is NOT conclusive evidence. Atta and Saddam could have been discussing their NFL picks to bet on FunBets.

Now they are leaking BS reports of collaboration between Atta and Saddam as justification. And they don't leak to the washington post or nytime who might actyually [sic] investigate and gather background.

.

now, THAT'S rich!!!

Saddam is not a Persian. I think you have Iraq confused with the country formerly known as Persia... Iran.

Saddam has pretty good relations with all the Islamicist groups: he is, after all, after the same thing bin Laden was after- the overthrow of the Saudi Royal family, getting the US out of the region, and eliminating Israel and possily Jordan; they could settle their differences later. It's been known for some time that his diplomats and intelligence services had meeting with bin Laden in Afghanistan, just as his Intelligence officer met with Atta and other hijackers in Prague before the Czechs threw the Iraqi out of the country.

FYI.

Looks like the evidence is mounting.

None the less, the world knows the last name is reallly Tommie Dasshole.

What an a$$hole.

(8-]

But it still needs to be done regardless.

Deutsche Presse-Agentur via Hamburger Morgenpost with Babelfish translation -

http://www.mopo.de/nachrichten/142_14086.html

US-Politiker: Atta war zuvor bei Saddam

Von Harald Stutte /AP/dpa

Terror-Pilot soll im Irak gewesen sein / Bush-Berater kündigt Beweise an – als »Grundlage« für baldigen Angriff

ROM - Der mutmaßliche Anführer der Todesflüge vom 11. September, Mohammed Atta, soll nach Worten eines hohen Beraters der US-Regierung vor den Anschlägen mit Iraks Diktator Saddam Hussein zusammengetroffen sein. „Darüber haben wir Beweise, und wir sind uns sicher, dass Mohammed Atta nicht zu einem Wochenendvergnügen im Irak war“, so Richard Perle, Berater im US-Verteidigungsministerium nach Angaben der italienischen Zeitung „Il Sole 24 Ore“.

Perle, der zu den „Falken“ im Pentagon zählt, fügte nach Angaben des Blattes hinzu: „Das Treffen zählt mit zu den Gründen für die Notwendigkeit eines amerikanischen Angriffs auf den Irak.“ Perle sprach bei einem Seminar in Cernobbio in der Nähe von Como. Das Gespräch zwischen Mohammed Atta und Saddam habe vor dem 11. September in der irakischen Hauptstadt Bagdad stattgefunden.

Bereits kurz nach dem Anschlag auf das World Trade Center am 11. September 2001 hatten tschechische Regierungskreise berichtet, dass sich Atta in Tschechien mehrmals mit einem irakischen Diplomaten getroffen haben soll. Der tschechische Geheimdienst hatte das Treffen überwacht.

Indes bekräftigten Kanzler Gerhard Schröder und der französische Staatspräsident Jacques Chirac bei einem Treffen in Hannover ihre ablehnende Haltung zu US-Alleingängen gegen den Irak. Schröder sagte nach der Unterredung, beide Regierungen seien „gemeinsam gegen eine einseitige und isolierte Aktion“. Chirac maß der UN eine Schlüsselrolle zu. Auch Griechenland sprach sich am Wochenende gegen jede militärische Aktion mit dem Ziel, Saddam Hussein zu stürzen.

Die USA und Großbritannien bemühen sich weiter um eine möglichst breite Unterstützung für ein Vorgehen gegen Saddam Hussein. Es handle sich um eine Herausforderung für die gesamte internationale Gemeinschaft, sagte der britische Premier Tony Blair gestern nach seiner Rückkehr aus den USA. Vor einer Reise des italienischen Ministerpräsidenten Silvio Berlusconi hieß es aus Rom, Italien würde im Fall eines von den USA angeführten Kriegs gegen Irak seinen Luftraum öffnen. Truppen sollen aber nur bereitgestellt werden, wenn es Beweise dafür gäbe, dass Saddam Hussein Atomwaffen herstellen lasse.

Indes will der arabische TV-Sender al-Dschasira diese Woche Bekenner-Videos veröffentlichen, die beweisen sollen, dass die Todes-Piloten vom 11. September planten, entführte Verkehrsmaschinen auf US-Nukleareinrichtungen zu lenken.

US politician: Atta was before with Saddam

Of Harald Stutte/AP/dpa

Terror pilot is to have been in the Iraq/Bush advisors announces proofs - as "basis" for imminent attack

ROM - the presumed leader of the death flights from 11 September, Mohammed Atta, is to have met after words of a high advisor of the US government before the notices with of Iraq dictator Saddam Hussein. "over it we have proofs, and we are sure us that Mohammed Atta was not to a week final pleasure in the Iraq", so Richard bead, advisor in the US Ministry of Defense according to data of the Italian newspaper "IL brine 24 Ore".

Bead, which among the "falcons" in the pentagon ranks, added according to data of the sheet: "the meeting takes in account to the reasons for the necessity for an American attack on the Iraq." Bead spoke with a seminar in Cernobbio in the proximity of Como. The discussion between Mohammed Atta and Saddam took place before 11 September in the Iraqi capital Bagdad.

After the notice on the World on 11 September 2001 Czech government circles had already briefly reported trade center that Atta in Tschechien was to have met several times with an Iraqi diplomat. The Czech secret service had supervised the meeting.

Meanwhile chancellors Gerhard Schroeder and the French president Jacques Chirac affirmed their rejecting attitude with a meeting in Hanover to US single-handed attempts against the Iraq. Schroeder said after the conversation, both governments were common "against a one-sided and isolated action". Chirac measured the UN a key role out. Also Greece spoke itself on weekend against each military action with the goal of falling Saddam Hussein.

The USA and Great Britain strive far for as broad a support as possible for a procedure against Saddam Hussein. The British Prime Minister Tony Blair concerns after its return from the USA before a journey of the Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi was called it yesterday from Rome, Italy in the case of a war stated by the USA against Iraq its air space would open a challenge for the entire international community, said. Troops are to be however only made available, if there were proofs for it that Saddam Hussein nuclear weapons lets manufacture.

Meanwhile the Arab TV transmitter aluminium-Dschasira wants to publish this week admitting he video, which is to prove that the death pilots from 11 September planned, kidnapped traffic machines on US nuclear mechanisms to steer.

ping

Headline is a big DUH! Atta certainly did not meet with Saddam after 9/11.

little tommy d. will demand times, dates, notes, pictures, what he was wearing, including color of shoes, weather conditions, pictures of buildings met in, you know, the normal things that is needed to convience a democrat and a few republacracts who have no idea which party they are in.

Okay.