UK Newspaper Says Documents Link Bin Laden to Iraq (The Telegraph Gets Another HUGE Scoop!)

Reuters ^ | April 26, 2003

[Timesink]

UK Newspaper Says Documents Link Bin Laden to Iraq

Sat April 26, 2003 05:13 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain's Sunday Telegraph newspaper said it had discovered documents showing Iraqi intelligence hosted an envoy from Osama bin Laden in 1998 and sought to meet the alleged September 11 mastermind in person.

The finding, if verified, would appear to support Washington's assertion of links between ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and bin Laden, one of the justifications for the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The paper said the documents, which its correspondent found in the wrecked headquarters of the Iraqi Mukhabarat intelligence service, showed Iraq brought a bin Laden aide to Baghdad in early 1998 from his former base in Sudan to arrange closer ties.

Iraqi officials sought to have the envoy pass on a verbal message setting up a direct meeting with bin Laden, the paper said.

The 1998 visit described in the documents would have taken place before bin Laden became a household name in the West, when Washington blamed him for the bombings of two U.S. embassies in Africa later that year.

According to the Telegraph, bin Laden's name had been concealed in several places on the Iraqi documents with white correction fluid. Its correspondent scraped the fluid off with a razor to uncover the name.

In one document quoted by the paper an Iraqi official wrote: "We suggest permission to call the Khartoum station (Iraq's intelligence office in Sudan) to facilitate the travel arrangements for the above-mentioned person to Iraq.

"And that our body carry all the travel and hotel costs inside Iraq to gain the knowledge of the message from bin Laden and to convey to his envoy an oral message from us to bin Laden."

A handwritten note on the same page said the letter had been passed on to the deputy director general of the intelligence service, recommending that he "bring the envoy to Iraq because we may find in this envoy a way to maintain contacts with Iraq."

The documents do not make clear whether the hoped-for meeting between Iraqi officials and bin Laden took place.

Before the war, Saddam's government repeatedly denied any links with bin Laden's al Qaeda network.

[Dog Gone]

I don't know that I disagree with you. I do agree that the contents of these papers are better released by the Telegraph than by Ari Fleischer.

[Huck]

Yeah. How great will it be to prove the link? The left was out there complaining about how stupid Americans are for thinking Iraq had something to do with 9-11, that we were supporting the war because we've been duped. Uh, hey lefties. I don't think so.

[bart99]

Nice post.

I can't but wonder how the US UN representative will DEMAND an apology from the French UN representative..... and the others,,,, for snubbing Powell. Should be a nice session. 8s*

[Enduring Freedom]

My advice to the GOP:

Declare victory over Iraq, declare the discovery of WMD, declare the discovery of Al Qaeda links.

AND BE DONE WITH IT

Asking, and waiting, for 'Rat/France/UN approval and confirmation is a fool's game.

Refuse to even discuss the question in the future.

The 'Rats will do a Florida 2000, and will be emboldened by GOP pious wimps who give voice to 'Rats inevitable doubts.

[Grampa Dave]

Al Hunt has a lot of power in the WSJ beyond his hate GW and America opeds.

He is in charge of their Washington News Bureau and controls the WSJ's political polls.

He has a lot of his former interns fabricating news just like their butt buddies working for the NY Slimes.

[gulfcoast6]

Now you ALL know this is not going to bring a 'coming out' by the press here, they have not been found sleeping in a bed together, doesn't prove one thing.

When we find the WMD's it won't count cause they didn't USE them on us.

We are dealing with a leftest press you know.

[Dilbert56]

The reporter who found the Galloway files defended the validity of those documets rather well. He asked if the would-be forger had the documents created, translated into Arabic, and then stuffed them in a file drawer in the Intellignce Ministry on the hopes that they would survive the bombing and happen to be found amongst the thousands of other files. The odds seem pretty long on that one. These revelations fall into the same category. I personally like the journalists finding them rather than the CIA. Let the journalists defend them rather than it becoming a "we say / they say" between the government and the distrusful press.

[InterceptPoint]

I personally like the journalists finding them rather than the CIA.

So do I....but

I am worried that all journalists are not "friendly" and some important documents may escape our notice and the notice of the U.S. forces.

[edwin hubble]

"What better way to get credibility than have them come out through unofficial sources ? "

You can bet our intelligence operations are well involved in this.

Reports are coming from the press because a "CIA Report" would be laughed off by the Europeans.

[Tribune7]

He is in charge of their Washington News Bureau

I knew that.

and controls the WSJ's political polls.

I didn't know that. Thanks. You are right. We need to reserve some skeptism about the WSJ's news pages. The editorial page is still great and I love the Weekend Journal, which has pretty good commentary in the back.

[Grampa Dave]

I think that papers and tv news outlets should have political labeling of their writers/reporters/commentators to ensure fair balance.

[Tribune7]

I think that papers and tv news outlets should have political labeling of their writers/reporters/commentators to ensure fair balance.

Not a bad idea.

[nicmarlo]

BTTT

[nicmarlo]

Here's a link to another article, Timesink

TRAIL OF TERROR
Saddam sought al-Qaida pact
Reports: Iraqi secret-police documents reveal bin Laden operative visited Baghdad in 1998

Posted: April 26, 2003
© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com

Iraqi document suggests meeting with bin Laden
(photo: Toronto Star)

Documents found in the bombed-out headquarters of the Mukhabarat, Iraq's secret police, show Saddam Hussein brought a bin Laden aide to Baghdad in early 1998 from Osama's former base in Sudan to arrange closer ties, and to seek a meeting with the terror kingpin in person, according to reports in the London Telegraph and Toronto Star.

Al-Qaida was based in Sudan until 1996, when its leadership moved to Afghanistan after the Sudanese government bowed to pressure from the U.S. to expel bin Laden's terror network. The paper trail indicates the meeting, which was based on a common hatred of America and Saudi Arabia, apparently went so well it was extended by a week and ended with arrangements being discussed for bin Laden to visit Baghdad.

The documents include a letter containing a message to be relayed to Osama which would ''relate to the future of our relationship with bin Laden, and achieve a direct meeting with him.''

[snip]

[Grampa Dave]

What brought me to this conclusion besides the obvious bias we see on ABCNNBCBS was/is the bias on the financial show from left wingers.

During the Clintoonian years of fraud, everything was go go and great news even thought the bubble really broke in the last year and half of the Clintoons.

Now whenever good news comes out, there are certain unidentified lefties trying to play it down and all ways there to blame GW and the administration.

Kramer on the show with Larry Kudlow, admits to being a liberal. Colmes admits to being a liberal. Kudlow and Hannity admit to being conservative republicans. That is the way it should be.

Whenever anyone talks on tv there should be a banner underneath saying registered Democrat or republican or whatever.

[ladyinred]

People have been trying to get this out for quite some time, but our media has ignored it. Thanks Telegraph for printing this. We were more than justified to go after Iraq's regime.