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Australian PM Howard claims weapons proof
The Australian ^
| June 17 2003
| Patrick Walters
Posted on 06/16/2003 10:11:48 AM PDT by knighthawk
AT least one of three vehicle trailers found by the US military in Iraq was a mobile biological weapons platform, John Howard said yesterday.
The Prime Minister's claim was the first official confirmation by a coalition political leader that suspected vehicle trailers had actually been used to produce weapons of mass destruction.
After weeks of intense speculation about the use of the vehicle trailers, Mr Howard told parliament that confirmation of a third suspect mobile weapons platform had come from US and British intelligence agencies.
The confirmation came as the Senate prepared to vote today on a parliamentary inquiry into the pre-war assessments of Iraq's weapons program made by Australia's intelligence agencies.
Labor's Senate leader, John Faulkner, called yesterday for an inquiry into the "nature and accuracy" of intelligence received by Australian government agencies on Iraq's WMD program, and whether it constituted an immediate global security threat.
Mr Howard said US and British intelligence agencies had concluded that at least one of three vehicle trailers found in Iraq was a "mobile biological weapons production facility".
The Prime Minister was responding to weekend media reports citing British government sources claiming that examinations of two vehicle trailers found in northern Iraq had concluded they were not biological warfare laboratories. He again ruled out any independent inquiry into the pre-war intelligence supplied by the Office of National Assessments.
Mr Howard told parliament the Australian intelligence community had been firm in its assessment of Iraq's weapons program.
"The Office of National Assessments remains confident in the judgment that there was a WMD capability in Iraq in the lead-up to war and is continuing to assess the scope and the nature of that capability," he said.
Mr Howard said he remained confident the US-led investigations by coalition inspectors would uncover the full extent of Saddam Hus sein's weapons of mass destruction.
Labor's call for a parliamentary inquiry is expected to be carried in the Senate.
Former ONA analyst Andrew Wilkie has arrived in London to give evidence before a British parliamentary committee into the handling of pre-war intelligence on Iraq.
Mr Wilkie, who left ONA in March in protest at the Howard Government's pro-war stance, believes coalition administrations grossly exaggerated the global threat posed by Iraq's WMD program.
TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: australia; australian; bushdoctrineunfold; howard; iraq; mobilelabs; proof; trailer; trailers; warlist; wmd
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To: Carry_Okie
CO posted, "Where are the WMDs?" thing has had the look of a massive rope-a-dope since it's inception."
Now, you all be quite down there in left wing land, close to Santa Cruz.
When a dope, who is your enemy wants to put his neck in the noose and hang himself. Allow him to have plenty of rope and the stage to commit the act.
21
posted on
06/16/2003 1:45:40 PM PDT
by
Grampa Dave
(Support The Brave Iranians as they bring about a needed regime change!)
To: Carry_Okie; amused
22
posted on
06/16/2003 1:51:43 PM PDT
by
Grampa Dave
(Support The Brave Iranians as they bring about a needed regime change!)
To: mewzilla
David Kay may be a good egg, but I can't draw a conclusion on this find until I hear from Danny Kaye.
Well there you have it. Danny Kaye is plotzing over WMD.
To: hchutch
Guess the 24/7 Barney the Dinosaur routine worked. Very funny! And I just LOVED your tag line! Ain't it the truth?
To: Grampa Dave
You too, eh? I've got a few little people who know how to 'manage' grandma too! They can melt you heart, can't they! :)
25
posted on
06/16/2003 4:47:16 PM PDT
by
dsutah
To: Grampa Dave
You're far more understanding than me. I would've demonstrated my destruction skills on Barney.
26
posted on
06/16/2003 9:39:46 PM PDT
by
steveegg
(Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, air-burst artillery and thermonuclear weapons)
To: dsutah
We only have two grandchildren. A girl age 4 and her brother age 2.
She has had Grampa wrapped around her finger forever. Her brother just tells his parents it is time for Grampa and Gramma to come to lunch or to meet us for lunch. One time they came up here, and we didn't have any bananas. So since then everytime we talked on the phone, he would babble about bananas.
His mother and Grandmother didn't know what he was trying to do. I said it was simple. He wanted to make sure that if he came for lunch or a visit, we had bananas. I asked him if he wanted make sure that we had bananas if he came for lunch. He said yes.
27
posted on
06/16/2003 9:40:45 PM PDT
by
Grampa Dave
(Support The Brave Iranians as they bring about a needed regime change!)
To: steveegg
You save that for the ultimate threat. If they refuse to go down for a nap or to sleep, you tell them that Barney will have leave home.
However, this New Barney playing the keyboard and singing will insure that they get outside with Grampa and leave Barney inside on a regular basis.
28
posted on
06/16/2003 9:43:35 PM PDT
by
Grampa Dave
(Support The Brave Iranians as they bring about a needed regime change!)
To: Grampa Dave
Call me an impetuous yute, then :-)
I haven't quite learned the value of patience.
29
posted on
06/16/2003 9:46:04 PM PDT
by
steveegg
(Close only counts in horseshoes, hand grenades, air-burst artillery and thermonuclear weapons)
To: facedown
and whether it constituted an immediate global security threat. Oh, now the WMDs have been found, they are talking about immediate global threat. No sir, we don't act on immediate global threat but before they occur, lest you want us killed.
To: facedown
"Same strategy as US and UK."The Neo-Commie left is a fixen to take a big hit.
31
posted on
06/17/2003 12:27:05 AM PDT
by
fella
Comment #32 Removed by Moderator
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