Replies

About Iraq's 'weapons of mass destruction':

"Today, Iraq no long possesses arms of mass destruction." - From an interview with the London-based Arabic newspaper Al-Hayat, March 31, 1999

"The Iraqi army is in total disarray, capable of little more than manning security pickets along the Iran-Iraq border, in northern Iraq (Kurdistan), and in southern Iraq. I have visited numerous Iraqi military barracks and have seen soldiers in tattered uniforms and bare feet. Military training is without substance, barely sufficient to convert recruits into simple soldiers, let alone provide skills in the intricacies of modern combined arms combat-the integration of infantry, armor, artillery, and air power in a single military action. Reduced to five corps from seven before the Gulf War, the army today relies on an armored force whose centerpiece if the T-55 tank, a relic of the 1950's. The few T-62 tanks and BMP armored fighting vehicles are only one generation newer, and countless generations behind world-leading U.S. battlefield technology." - From his newly published book - Endgame (page 199)

"I have seen the Republican Guard, too ... enough to put down internal unrest, but not enough to match the armed forces of any of its neighbors. ... Even at its best, the Republican Guard was decimated in a matter of hours once it engaged the U.S. Army in 1991. Any international threat from today's Republican Guard is imaginary. ... Saddam's air force in action could be shot out of the sky by any of the modern air forces of its neighbors. ... Iraq simply lacks the stocks of chemical and biological agent needed to have any militarily significant effect. Tens of thousands of munitions would be required, and at best Iraq has but a few hundred." - From his newly published book - Endgame (page 200)

About the US administration's goal to overthrow the Iraqi regime:

"The current U.S. policy of trying to overthrow Saddam is misguided. The underlying problems will continue to exist. Saddam did not create the animosity between Iraq and Iran, nor did Saddam fabricate the Iraq-Kuwait border issue. He is not the source of the Israeli-Arab conflict. His extreme positions and irresponsible actions have exacerbated these problems, but they would have arisen without him, and his disappearance would solve none of them." - From his newly published book - Endgame (page 201)

"Practically speaking, there is virtually no chance that opposition groups could overthrow Saddam." - From his newly published book - Endgame (page 202)

Wonder if he'll show up for this scheduled speech on 1/31/03? Maybe there's a FReeper who can go and report back?

Former UN inspector Scott Ritter to speak at Washington College

January 13, 2003

CHESTERTOWN - Scott Ritter, former Chief Weapons Inspector for the United Nations Special Commission in Iraq (UNSCOM), will discuss "War with Iraq: How did we get here?" at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 in Washington College's Hynson Lounge. The talk is free and the public is encouraged to attend.

As a chief weapons inspector for the UNSCOM, Ritter was labeled a hero by some, a maverick by others, and a spy by the Iraqi government. Ritter has had an extensive and distinguished career in government service.

He is a ballistic missile technology expert who worked in military intelligence during a 12-year career in the U.S. armed forces, including assignments in the former Soviet Union and in the Middle East.