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Rice: Iraq providing shelter, chemical weapons help to al-Qaida
Associated Press | September 25, 2002 | JOHN J. LUMPKIN

Posted on 09/25/2002 6:00:43 PM PDT by HAL9000

WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Bush's national security adviser on Wednesday accused Iraqi President Saddam Hussein's regime of sheltering members of the al-Qaida terrorist network in Baghdad and helping Osama bin Laden's operatives in developing chemical weapons.

Condoleezza Rice's comments -- by far the strongest statements yet from the U.S. government alleging al-Qaida contacts with the Iraqi government -- were aired Thursday on PBS' "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.''

Her accusations came as the Bush administration continues to make its case to a skeptical world that Saddam should be removed from power, by force if necessary. The charges also came as the White House sought to fend off accusations from Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle that Bush was playing politics with the debate over war in Iraq.

"We clearly know that there were in the past and have been contacts between senior Iraqi officials and members of al-Qaida going back for actually quite a long time,'' Rice said. "We know too that several of the (al-Qaida) detainees, in particular some high-ranking detainees, have said that Iraq provided some training to al-Qaida in chemical weapons development.''

Previously, the widely held view has been that while Saddam and bin Laden both oppose the United States, their motivations are too different for them to work together. Saddam seeks secular power; bin Laden's drive comes from religious motivations and his opposition to the U.S. military presence in Saudi Arabia and the Arab world.

But Rice said, "There clearly are contacts between al-Qaida and Iraq that can be documented; there clearly is testimony that some of the contacts have been important contacts and that there's a relationship here.''

She suggested that details of the contacts will be released later.

Previously, U.S. intelligence officials have said that some al-Qaida members have been detected in Iraq, but that they appeared to simply be crossing the country after fleeing Afghanistan for their native countries on the Arabian peninsula or in North Africa. U.S. intelligence has also received information that some al-Qaida leaders are hiding in Iran, and the U.S. government is looking into reports that al-Qaida operatives are conducting training just over the Iranian border from Afghanistan.

Rice said that much of the information is coming from al-Qaida operatives captured since the Sept. 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. This includes several senior leaders whom the U.S. alleges organized terrorist attacks.

"No one is trying to make an argument at this point that Saddam Hussein somehow had operational control of what happened on Sept. 11, so we don't want to push this too far, but this is a story that is unfolding, and it is getting clearer, and we're learning more,'' Rice said.

"And there are some al-Qaida personnel who found refuge in Baghdad,'' Rice said.

Earlier in the day, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld made a vague reference to Iraq-al Qaida links during a NATO meeting in Warsaw, Poland, but didn't offer details.

Administration officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said Rice's disclosure was significant because it marked the first time that the White House claimed that al-Qaida operated in Saddam-controlled Baghdad. It was an effort to counter suggestions that al-Qaida operatives were solely in the Kurdish area of northern Iraq, which he doesn't control. The disclosure is part of an effort to strengthen the case against Saddam, the officials said.

Previously, it's been known that Ansar al-Islam, an Islamic extremist group in northern Iraq, sent about a dozen of its members to bin Laden's camps. The group is largely composed of ethnic Kurds and had experimented with biological weapons, U.S. officials have said. But any links to Saddam's government were dubious.

Bin Laden has sought chemical, biological and nuclear weapons for a decade, U.S. intelligence officials have said. His followers are believed to have experimented with rudimentary chemical and biological weapons, but they lacked the sophistication to use them in a way that would kill large numbers of people.

Saddam's military used chemical weapons against Iran in the 1980s and on rebelling Iraqi Kurds. He has also researched biological and nuclear weapons -- previously, the key complaint of the Bush administration against Saddam.

Saddam's government denies having any of these weapons.

After Sept. 11, officials in the Czech Republic said that chief hijacker Mohamed Atta had met with an Iraqi intelligence agent in Prague, which some viewed as a link between Iraq and the attacks. But U.S. officials have since said they doubt the meeting took place.

The Iraqi government has been linked to other groups labeled terrorist by the United States -- primarily those that oppose Iran and Israel.

Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.



TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: alqaeda; alqaida; bushdoctrineunfold; iraq; rice; saddamhussein
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To: HAL9000
Americans die and Democrats dither
When will Daschle and his fellow travelers begin to protect America?
41 posted on 09/25/2002 7:32:07 PM PDT by jimkress
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To: ThomasJefferson; stuartcr
Highly intelligent conversation and debate is welcome.
42 posted on 09/25/2002 7:34:20 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: Ernest_at_the_Beach
It was just on here...

Condie basically mopped the floor with the inquisitor on McNeil Lehrer... I forgot her name.

And condie NEVER missed a beat. NOT ONE. She hit the al queda thing out of the park, and implicated the testimony of multiple "detainees" regarding the connecion between high level iraqi leadership, and al queda.

Apparently they have proof that what chemical weapons Al Queda has, were developed with cooperation from Hussein's regime... and of course that Hussein is giving some high level operatives of Al Queda, sanctuary, aide or outright support.

She refused to say that Sadaam had any OPERATIONAL control over 9/11, but did NOT say he was completely out of the loop... as to aspects of it.

the mcneil lehrer girl... got rather flustered tryign to look smart when questioning Condi... Damn that Condi is smart!
43 posted on 09/25/2002 7:38:30 PM PDT by Robert_Paulson2
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To: rdb3
Daschle and the Dems are going DOWN!!!
44 posted on 09/25/2002 7:38:43 PM PDT by hchutch
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To: cookcounty
I was just reading a history of WWII, and it said that the US and
the Soviet Union worked together against Hitler. Now, this couldn't
possibly be true. After all, the Soviets were communists and atheists,
while the US was capitalistic and full of religious types---virtual
opposites!

I guess they didn't show the part where Russia and Germany were
allies until Hitler decided to break that treaty and attack Russia.

45 posted on 09/25/2002 7:41:31 PM PDT by itsahoot
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To: rightwing2
Looking for some more of your expert analyst invective and spittle here.

Lemme quote from something you said:

In the case of Iraq, which we have been bombing non-stop ever since Clinton wagged the dog on the eve of his impeachment vote, it is not about fighting terrorism as Iraq has never been positively linked to any terrorist attacks against the US. As COL David Hackworth points out in his WND.com column, there really is no convincing rationale for invading Iraq.

How about this:

While it is true that Sadaam possess biological and chemical weapons, he has not used these weapons against us. Invading and ousting a sitting government just because "we think" they might attack us is a shaky and ambigious doctrine for which to place the safety of our nation and way of life.

I can think of about 3000 victims of the last attack who would disagree with you.

46 posted on 09/25/2002 7:44:52 PM PDT by Chancellor Palpatine
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To: Dr. Frank
They'll blame it all on the neo-cons.
47 posted on 09/25/2002 7:46:02 PM PDT by Huck
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To: Chancellor Palpatine
The guy is a troll. Not govt, not American. Probably has Arab in his bloodline, or a practicing muslim.
48 posted on 09/25/2002 7:46:58 PM PDT by RedBloodedAmerican
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To: Chancellor Palpatine
"I can think of about 3000 victims of the last attack who would disagree with you."

Not to mention tens of thousands of their families and friends.

49 posted on 09/25/2002 7:48:45 PM PDT by terilyn
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To: TheDon
ON the condi rice / pbs / mcneil lehrer interview, the question/response that REALLY flustered the interviewer was the new bush doctrine of worldwide military superiority, being a commitment that is for all intents and purposes, a FOREVER HEGEMONY for us to preserve.

The idea that WE will determine the emergence of democracies on the face of the earth from NOW on, or ELSE, really terrifies the "give peace a chance, disarmament addicted" left.

condi quitted the criticism of our newly published policy on hegemony rather admirably. I would vote for the girl.
50 posted on 09/25/2002 7:49:22 PM PDT by Robert_Paulson2
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To: Robert_Paulson2
I like the sound of "hegemony" - I really do.
51 posted on 09/25/2002 7:52:04 PM PDT by hchutch
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To: RedBloodedAmerican
the guy is a trolll....


52 posted on 09/25/2002 7:55:32 PM PDT by Robert_Paulson2
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To: HAL9000

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

LET OUT SOME MORE GLORY AL!

53 posted on 09/25/2002 7:56:30 PM PDT by Registered
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To: hchutch
me too and we are not alone... get a load of Chancellor Palpatine's profile page... heh heh... sorta says it all...

roflmao...

"now we may reveal ourselves to the jedi...." comes to mind.

54 posted on 09/25/2002 7:57:30 PM PDT by Robert_Paulson2
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To: Huck
They'll blame it all on the neo-cons.

This is their default boogeyman. When all else fails, blame the neo-con.

55 posted on 09/25/2002 8:03:51 PM PDT by rdb3
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To: The Great Satan
One thing I've learned from watching this unfold is how easy it is for Bush to stretch this out as long as he wants. We've got a long way to go yet. Too some degree, you're correct, because that's the way hardball politics is played and Bush is very good at it. I would not however, while he is offering the dimocrats all the rope they need to hang their socialist asses, he is sure to be ratcheting the military to full capabilities, because he well knows the limited window of opportunity we have for maximum efficiency against Saddam and co. The 'strtetch' will be shortened only by the military necessities; Bush, unlike sinkEmperor spitoon, will not play with the lives of our brave men and women in the military. [Frankly, I love the way Bush is playing politics with these socialist bastards. VOTE THE RATS OUT, for our future health and safety.]
56 posted on 09/25/2002 8:04:30 PM PDT by MHGinTN
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To: rdb3
It's a variation on an old theme.
57 posted on 09/25/2002 8:07:20 PM PDT by Huck
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Comment #58 Removed by Moderator

To: Huck; rdb3
I heard a news blurb on the radio yesterday indicating that Israel had interrogated a couple of Al Qaeda skells and they stated that they had been trained in Iraq by Abu Abbas.

He is the sob that had Leon Klinghoffer killed on the Achille Lauro. He is living on borrowed time and the ballon payment is coming due.

59 posted on 09/25/2002 8:12:32 PM PDT by jwalsh07
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To: Huck; rdb3
One other thing.

IMHO Bush has had the goods on the Al Qaeda/Iraq marriage made in hell for some time and with Condie saying this, it's about to explode on the scene.

I've been wrong before, of course, but I remember hearing that the Czechs had security pictures of Atta and al Ani in Prague. Wouldn't surprise me one bit.

I TRUST BUSH! :-}

60 posted on 09/25/2002 8:16:13 PM PDT by jwalsh07
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