Chirac fumes over claims that France sold missiles to Iraq

Telegraph.uk ^ | 10-05-03

[Brian S]

Chirac fumes over claims that France sold missiles to Iraq By Philip Sherwell and Kim Willsher (Filed: 05/10/2003)

An angry President Jacques Chirac of France yesterday forced the Polish government to withdraw claims that its troops had found four French anti-aircraft missiles, manufactured earlier this year, at a weapons dump in Iraq.

Poland's defence ministry expressed "regret" last night over the reports, first made on Friday evening, that it had uncovered missiles which could only have been supplied to Iraq in breach of the United Nations weapons embargo.

Polish soldiers work to uncover the Roland-type missiles which were discovered last week near Hilla

However, the statement released in Warsaw did not assuage President Chirac's fury at suggestions that France may have supplied Saddam Hussein's regime with weapons in the months before the US-led invasion.

"I believe that the Polish soldiers have created confusion that could have been avoided with thorough verification," he said.

The controversy arose from the markings on the Roland-type missiles discovered last week near Hilla, south of Baghdad. In photographs released in Warsaw, the markings included the coding: 07-01 KND 2003.

Polish forces apparently took this to indicate the date of manufacture, but France insisted that it has produced no Roland missiles since 1993. Defence officials said the significance of the code was not immediately clear, and a Pentagon official said the style of markings did not correspond to those usually used by France.

Further investigation has been hampered as the Polish troops destroyed the missiles last week. It is standard procedure for former Iraqi ordnance to be blown up by Coalition forces.

Mr Chirac is particularly prickly about accusations that French weaponry had reached Iraq as recently as this year, even if via a third country, as France has a poor reputation for selling arms to dubious regimes.

At the European Union summit in Rome, Mr Chirac rejected the reports out of hand and said he had made his point "in a friendly but frank and firm way" during two meetings with Polish Prime Minister Leszek Miller.

The French Foreign Ministry has emphasised that France has not authorised the sale of weapons, or even spare parts, to Iraq since 1990.

[Dan Evans]

A longer list of French dealings with Iraq. I notice that the MSNBC link regarding the first Roland missile find seems to be broken and I can't find any reference to it on the MSNBC site.

http://www.photodude.com/weblog/2003/april/13_saddams_suppliers.shtml

[Tommyjo]

The Poles have apoligised to the French for this incident:

"Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski expresses regret concerning the information on the alleged date of the production of these missiles," the ministry said in a statement, adding that a investigation had been ordered.

Taken from official video footage shot by Polish soldiers.
The Polish demolition team snipped off the tags before the ROLANDS were destroyed in the pit


".. SOCIETE NATIONAL INDUSTRIELLE
CONSTRUCTION DE TARBES
REFERENCE SNIAS No 969446
DESIGNATION GIAT ATS F5316
NO DE SERIE B + V 176
MASSE 960
DATE 11.7.83
CONTROLE MA12"

On the other tags is SOCIETE NATIONALE INDUSTRIELLE AEROSPATIALE F4992 3 84
On the exterior of the tube is 07-01 KND 2003 - 0389

The "11.7.83" date from the ROLAND and the "KND 2003" on the tube are consitent with a missile shelf life of 20 years.


TJ

[Tommyjo]

"And just exactly who supplied the SAMs to saddamn that he has been shooting at U.S. Pilots for the last 3 years before we liberated Iraq?."

The French supplied short-range and medium range SAMs to Iraq during the 1980's. The same decade as the US was supplying Bell 214ST helicopters and supplying Saddam with vital overhead intelligence to assist their war with Iran. The French Air Force were flying No Fly Zone missions alongside US and UK air forces up until the following dates: France ceased NFZ missions in the Northern Zone during 1996 and ceased missions in the Southern Zone in December 1998. France returned to flying reconnaissance over Iraq using Mirage IV's in the months and weeks before the current conflict with Iraq. The vast majority of SAMs operated by Iraq were Soviet supplied.

[Dave Elias]

It seems in this matter at least the Francois have nothing to answer

[.cnI redruM]

I don't think the French have a poor rep. The dubious regimes seem to seek the French out first.