Posted on 10/02/2003 8:01:55 PM PDT by TruthShallSetYouFree
WMD: Blair was right
WMD threat ... Iraq negotiated with North Korea
By TREVOR KAVANAGH Political Editor
A TERRIFYING new probe yesterday revealed Saddam Hussein WAS secretly preparing for chemical, biological and even nuclear war.
The 13-page document, compiled from the reports of 1,200 arms experts who have been scouring Iraq for two months, says Saddam was determined to resume building nukes.
And he was already negotiating with rogue state North Korea to buy long-range rockets that could have launched nuclear AND chemical warheads at UK bases in the Med.
The experts also unearthed secret bio-weapons labs, new strains of lethal diseases, a deadly bug hidden in a scientist’s home — and evidence of possible chemical weapon tests on human victims.
The report, from America’s Iraq Survey Group, totally vindicates Tony Blair’s decision to go to war over WMDs.
ISG chief Dr David Kay says in the report: “We have discovered dozens of WMD-related programme activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the UN.”
Dr Kay’s full report — revealed to US congressmen yesterday — is still top secret.
Vindicated ... Tony Blair But last night Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said: “It has produced conclusive and incontrovertible evidence that Iraq was in material breach of UN Resolution 1441.”
In his report, Dr Kay admits no actual weapons of mass destruction have yet been found.
But he points out that his experts from America, Britain and Australia have faced a campaign of sabotage, looting, and obstruction — and have been subjected to bombings, firefights and threats.
Nevertheless, they have proved Saddam was planning to acquire long-range missiles, possibly nuclear-tipped.
These missiles could have hit UK bases in Cyprus, Turkey and Cairo — as The Sun revealed in September.
Dr Kay says: “There were plans and advanced design work for new long range missiles with ranges up to at least 1,000km — well beyond the 150km limit set by the UN.”
The experts found evidence of “clandestine attempts” between late 1999 and 2002 to get from North Korea technology related to its 1300km No Dong missiles.
Saddam ... making secret plans Chillingly, they also unearthed documents and equipment concealed in scientists’ homes for “resuming uranium enrichment” — a key stage in the making of nukes.
And Iraqi scientists interviewed by the ISG team confirmed Saddam was determined to develop them.
Dr Kay, a former UN weapons inspector credited with dismantling Saddam’s nuclear programme in the 1990s, says: “They have told us Saddam remained firmly committed to acquiring nuclear weapons.
“At least one senior Iraqi official believed, by 2000, Saddam had run out of patience with waiting for sanctions to end and wanted to restart the nuclear programme.”
ISG experts found a vial of “live” botulism hidden in an Iraqi scientist’s home — and fear others are still at large.
Dr Kay’s report says: “The scientist who concealed the vial has identified a large cache of agents that he was asked, but refused, to conceal. The group is searching for the second cache. One ex-biological weapons scientist confirmed a production line could be switched to produce anthrax in a week.”
The report also highlights a “network of labs and safehouses” containing equipment suitable for chemical and biological weapons research.
And it found evidence of a “prison laboratory complex, possibly used in human testing of biological weapon agents” — again explicitly concealed from the UN.
The experts also uncovered “new research” on deadly viruses Brucella, Congo Crimean Haemorrhagic Fever, ricin and aflatoxin.
Warning ... Sun, Sept 2002 The report says other members of the team discovered a “covert capability” to make fuel propellant useful ONLY for banned Scud missiles. Dr Kay says the hunt was hampered by Iraqi obstruction, secrecy and sabotage.
He adds: “Looting destroyed important evidence of Iraq’s WMD programme. This was deliberate. Some personnel crossed borders before and during the conflict and may have taken evidence and weapons-related material.
“Even the bulkiest materials we are searching for can be concealed in spaces not much larger than a two-car garage.”
Dr Kay said that the ISG team also had the monumental task of examining Iraq’s huge conventional weapons caches. So far only ten of 130 have been rigorously searched.
He said the nuclear programme appeared to be in its early stages, adding: “The evidence we found will suggest a very tentative restart at the very most rudimentary level.”
Downing Street last night hailed Dr Kay’s interim report as dramatic evidence of Saddam’s lies.
And a top security source said last night: “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”
Last night the Ministry of Defence said the vial of botulism found in the Iraqi scientist’s home could have been “weaponised” within 48 hours.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dithering UN did not want to know Commentary by TREVOR KAVANAGH
WHAT is most surprising about the damning new evidence against Saddam Hussein is that it should come as a surprise at all.
There was ample proof long before America and Britain went to war that Saddam was spoiling for a fight. The dithering UN just didn’t want to know.
What must shock even those like French President Jacques Chirac, who led the crusade to stop us invading, is his terrifying pursuit of nukes.
Dr David Kay’s report, certain to be howled down by the conspiracy-obsessed anti-war brigade, does more than justify ousting Saddam.
It proves beyond doubt that it was a virtuous act for which the world should be truly grateful.
WMD proof ... David Kay We now know this tyrant had “run out of patience” and was determined to make Iraq the Arab world’s nuclear power. Uranium enrichment was planned and a supply of ballistic missiles capable of delivering warheads as far away as Cairo, Turkey — and Israel — was being teed-up with North Korea.
Iraq and North Korea are countries controversially but correctly identified by President George Bush as the “Axis of Evil”.
That axis includes Iran which is now trying to build nuclear power stations and has warned it might one day use nukes against Israel.
Saudi Arabia is slyly trying to obtain nukes from Pakistan. Egypt wants a nuclear powered desalination plant. The risk of anti-Western regimes going nuclear is too horrifying to contemplate.
That risk has been substantially reduced by the salutary demonstration of America’s — and Britain’s — display of resolution and military might.
Left to the tender care of the limp-wristed UN, Saddam would have continued to develop WMDs.
And one day, without a shadow of a doubt, he would have used them — to devastating effect on world peace.
He said the opposite. And I'm not a Republican.
Other than that, you make complete sense.
What do you not understand about that? He said at this point they can not prove the weapons are there. Rudimentary programs sure, but rudimentary programs don't present a direct threat to this nation either
Duh, gee, and neither do airliners.
Oh, wait...
I really think you'd be happier over at DU, although I do give you credit for at least staying around to argue your weak point.
Of course, those same lefties all thought Iraq had WMD when Clinton said they had 'em.
To say Kay found nothing (or that he admitted to finding nothing) is hyperbole at best. No, Kay and his team have not found barrels of anthrax, but his report outlines a number of things they found that proves Saddam violated the UN resolutions, many of which were pointed at keeping him from developing WMD.
Evidence, please, for these so-called 'promises'.
We went to war because Saddam was in violation of the UN resolutions. There is ample evidence in the Kay report of those violations. (We actually had ample evidence of same before we went in.)
Ummmm...maybe you missed the following:
Chillingly, they also unearthed documents and equipment concealed in scientists’ homes for “resuming uranium enrichment” — a key stage in the making of nukes.According to the IAEA's own reports..."Thus, Iraq could be capable of producing a nuclear weapon in less than a month with sufficient diverted or stolen fissile material if it has managed to fabricate and conceal all of the non-nuclear components of a weapon." The CIA and the IAEA have both stated that Iraq had 580 lbs. of uranium.
Dr Kay’s report says: “The scientist who concealed the vial has identified a large cache of agents that he was asked, but refused, to conceal. The group is searching for the second cache. One ex-biological weapons scientist confirmed a production line could be switched to produce anthrax in a week.”This one speaks for itself. And while they may not be able to hit the US, the article stated that they were seeking missiles that could reach the UK. I think that would be considered a direct threat.
Thank you, you closed the case right there.
they were seeking missiles that could reach the UK. I think that would be considered a direct threat.
Why? When did this nation of states go through the procedure to annex the United Kingdom? Are they now included of the borders of this nation?
They've only searched 10 of 130 sites.
They've been sabotaged and harassed to inhibit their search.
Precursors and equipment have been removed from in-country.
Will those who bleat boringly "no evidence" eat the vial of botulin? Didn't think so.
Enough with the lies!
Saddam was absolutely a threat.
Case closed.
8 STATEMENT BY DAVID KAY ON THE INTERIM PROGRESS REPORT [IRAQ WMD]
We have not yet found stocks of weapons, but we are not yet at the point where we can say definitively either that such weapon stocks do not exist or that they existed before the war and our only task is to find where they have gone. We are actively engaged in searching for such weapons based on information being supplied to us by Iraqis.
Wraps it up for me. Saddam may have been a threat to another nation in the region, but he was not a direct and viable threat to the borders of this nation of states
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