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Saddam 'killed missile chief' to thwart UN team
The Sunday Telegraph ^ | March 2, 2003 | David Wastell and Julian Coman

Posted on 03/01/2003 4:29:10 PM PST by MadIvan

Western intelligence agencies are investigating claims that Saddam Hussein ordered the murder of a senior Iraqi missile engineer to prevent him passing vital information to United Nations weapons inspectors.

Gen Muhammad Sa'id al-Darraj, who was in charge of Iraq's mobile Scud missiles until three months ago, died 24 hours after talks with Saddam's officials, according to Arab newspaper reports. The officials wanted to discuss how the general would conceal his knowledge if he were called for interview by the UN.

The London-based Al-Zaman newspaper said that Gen al-Darraj told "indignant" relatives shortly before he died that he had been slipped a poisoned drink during the meeting at one of Saddam's presidential palaces.

Iraqi opposition groups suspect that the general's loyalty to Saddam was in doubt after he was removed from his post at the end of last year.

British Government officials said yesterday that they were still trying to corroborate the report.

UN inspectors held their initial private interviews with Iraqis involved in Saddam's weapons programme - a biologist and a missile expert - on Friday, their first such talks for three weeks.

Last week Britain's ambassador to the UN, Sir Jeremy Greenstock, gave a private briefing to other members of the Security Council on Iraq's continuing efforts to conceal its chemical weapons and nerve gas production from the weapons inspectors, The Telegraph has learnt.

Officials say that Sir Jeremy will reveal more to his senior UN colleagues this week, including sensitive intelligence information, in an effort to boost support for the British and American-backed resolution on Iraq.

Donald Rumsfeld, the United States Secretary of Defence, put further pressure on Saddam's regime by linking senior Iraqi officials to a new list of 24 crimes for which detainees in the war on terrorism may be tried by American military tribunals.

Mr Rumsfeld said that war-crimes suspects in Saddam's regime might be brought to Guantanamo Bay, where about 650 al-Qa'eda suspects are currently held, after any military action. According to Pentagon officials, Saddam and other top Ba'ath Party activists could be put on trial for crimes against Kurds in northern Iraq and Shia Muslims in the south.

The war crimes list includes "employing poison or analogous weapons", "using protected persons as shields" and "using protected property as shields". Mr Rumsfeld said that the 19-page list was a codification of existing laws of war to take account of the new landscape of international terrorism.

During an emergency Arab summit in Egypt yesterday the United Arab Emirates became the first Arab country to call publicly for Saddam and his aides to go into exile, to spare Iraq's people from war.

The UAE said that the Iraqi leadership should be offered "all suitable privileges to leave within two weeks", plus internationally binding guarantees that they would not face prosecution "in any form". The proposal appeared to receive backing from Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Prince Saud al Faisal.

At the same summit, President Bashar al-Assad of Syria called on fellow Arab League nations not to provide America with military facilities to wage war on Iraq.


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; US: District of Columbia; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: aldarraj; blair; bush; iraq; saddam; saidaldarraj; uk; us; warlist
The Sun reported this story and was met with some skepticism; here the greatest newspaper in the world picks it up. It has legs.

Regards, Ivan


1 posted on 03/01/2003 4:29:11 PM PST by MadIvan
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To: Kip Lange; dixiechick2000; UofORepublican; kayak; LET LOOSE THE DOGS OF WAR; keats5; ...
Bump!
2 posted on 03/01/2003 4:29:24 PM PST by MadIvan
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To: MadIvan
the greatest newspaper in the world picks it up

Great story in a great paper. If their Telegraph Weekly wasn't so damn expensive, I'd subscribe.
3 posted on 03/01/2003 4:33:23 PM PST by July 4th
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To: MadIvan
Isn't the same guy who was poisoned?

Iraq Scud boss poisoned

4 posted on 03/01/2003 4:38:53 PM PST by Indy Pendance
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To: Indy Pendance
Exactly. People were skeptical because it appeared in the Sun first; apparently now, the Telegraph has picked it up.

Regards, Ivan

5 posted on 03/01/2003 4:41:08 PM PST by MadIvan
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To: *war_list
ping!
6 posted on 03/01/2003 4:41:22 PM PST by MadIvan
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To: *war_list
http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list
7 posted on 03/01/2003 4:41:33 PM PST by Libertarianize the GOP (Ideas have consequences)
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To: MadIvan
Thanks, sorry for the grammer errors. You know, my brain works faster than my fingers....
8 posted on 03/01/2003 4:47:17 PM PST by Indy Pendance
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To: MadIvan
It fits Saddam's modus operandi and provides cover for Blixen the Blind ("We have not heard anything untoward from Iraq's missile experts."--psst, Mistah Kurtz he daid).

Good for Rumsfeld the Disgronifier to make it clear to the war criminals that they will be treated just like ahem Nazis.

A Nuremberg portrait complete with complimentary earphones, your own cage at Camp X-Ray, and that's not all.

Our CINC hails from the home of Capital Punishment.

As for Syria's ASSad, when Yanks and Britons move in next door there goes the neighborhood--

All your weapons plants (viz. Hom, Syria; March, 2002 explosion kills 35) are belong to us.

9 posted on 03/01/2003 4:47:21 PM PST by PhilDragoo (Hitlery: das Butch von Buchenvald)
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To: MadIvan
Just another routine day for Saddam. He has no conscience.
10 posted on 03/01/2003 4:58:25 PM PST by anniegetyourgun
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To: MadIvan
"Saddam Hussein ordered the murder of a senior Iraqi missile engineer to prevent him passing vital information to United Nations weapons inspectors."

You see! Zee inspections, zey ahr working!

11 posted on 03/01/2003 6:21:24 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Peace is Good, Freedom is Better!)
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To: MadIvan
I thought we told him to destroy the rockets, not the rocket scientists.
12 posted on 03/01/2003 7:22:46 PM PST by AdA$tra (All we are saying ....is give war a chance)
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To: MadIvan
I am watching Jerry Rivers on FNC right now. Saddam is destroying four missles. Did they not find like thirteen or so of them?
13 posted on 03/01/2003 7:23:56 PM PST by AdA$tra (All we are saying ....is give war a chance)
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To: AdA$tra
....thirteen or so of them?

Oh, I guess it is more like 113. Four missles. What a joke.
14 posted on 03/01/2003 7:25:32 PM PST by AdA$tra (All we are saying ....is give war a chance)
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To: MadIvan
Hussein and cronies are out of their collective minds.

Nothing they do or say is going to save them from American justice.

Master Sergeant John C. Woods, of San Antonio, Texas, readies the noose for the hanging of convicted Nazi criminals. Woods, the official executioner for the US Army, said, "I hanged those 10 Nazis and I am proud of it!"

15 posted on 03/01/2003 7:27:19 PM PST by Rome2000
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To: BartMan1
Looks like Saddam's not counting on making missles after the war...
16 posted on 03/01/2003 7:35:53 PM PST by IncPen
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To: MadIvan
"The Sun reported this story and was met with some skepticism; here the greatest newspaper in the world picks it up. It has legs."

Right, although they are still reporting it a rumor under investigation. It could blow apart the whole charade of disabling those missiles as a significant step, if verified. Saddam has a lot to hide.
17 posted on 03/01/2003 9:46:43 PM PST by WOSG (Liberate Iraq!!)
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To: MadIvan
Is the moral here, "if Saddam invites you to Tea-- don't go?"
18 posted on 03/02/2003 12:33:38 AM PST by KaiserofKrunch
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