Posted on 12/05/2002 5:43:08 AM PST by Jersey Kid
A Smiling Bush: Chemical Weapons Found in Iraq
UNMOVIC inspectors have discovered chemical weapons in Iraq. Everything going according to plan. The White House is gloating over the fact that that UNMOVIC team in Iraq has already discovered prohibited chemical weapons. It is yperite or mustard gas. The chemical weapons were found at an Iraqi base in the desert. Inspections team leader Demetrius Perricos says that the gas was stored inside shells. Baghdad in its turn followed the tested principle that the best defense is a good offence and immediately accused the UNMOVIC inspectors of spying.
“The inspectors came to make arrangements and collect information right before an attack. It isn’t an accusation in fact, as the inspectors’ work since the very first day of the inspections was to spy; they serve the CIA and Mossad at the same time,” Iraqi Vice-president Taha Yassin Ramadan said yesterday evening. He blamed the inspectors for the recent intrusion into one of Saddam’s presidential palaces in Baghdad. In his words, the inspectors hoped that they wouldn’t be allowed to the palace, which could be treated as a provocation that could lead to war. The vice-president says that a refusal would have allowed the inspectors to blame Iraq for violation of its obligations.
There is little time left until December 8, the day when in accordance with UN resolutions, Iraq must provide a list of military sites where weapons of mass destruction are produced. According to recent information obtained from Iraq, Baghdad has already compiled this list. The problem is that the list contains nothing criminal, as Washington hopes. The list provides information about authorized research in the spheres of biology, chemistry, and atomic energy, as well as information about missile production during the period after international inspections were driven out of Iraq (1998 – 2002). The information was reported by General Hossam Mohammed Amin, chief Iraqi liaison to the inspectors. He said that this document would be vast enough, and the general added that “Iraq carries out no banned activity in these spheres.” The declaration will be issued in the Arab and English languages. The information mentioned in the document “will be detailed and exhaustive, as a large group of specialists worked on it.”
Let’s look at the Iraqi problem on a broader scale. According to recent polls held by America’s Pew Research Center in 44 countries of the world, the majority of respondents don’t believe in the disinterestedness of the USA concerning Iraq, Washington Post reports today. The polls revealed that people from many countries unanimously support the efforts taken in the struggle against terrorism. However, these people also share the opinion that the US foreign policy doesn’t take the interests of other countries into consideration. The polls held in the UN member countries revealed that the majority of British people, Frenchmen, Russians, and Germans consider Saddam Hussein’s regime to pose a threat to global security. However, respondents resolutely object to a war campaign against Iraq. About 70% of those questioned are sure that Americans are planning their little war simply to seize Iraqi oil. The organizers of the opinion polls say that America’s reputation has considerably worsened over the past two years. This is not only among Moslem nations, developing countries, and East European countries; America is beginning to have a bad reputation among its NATO allies as well.
And if these tiny caches are not listed on Saddam's "declaration" (due Sunday), he will be in material breach.
Mustard gas shells have, as far as I can tell, no dual use potential!
I'm having a tough time understanding the rest of the world. If Iraq is a Bad Country and Saddam is a Bad Person, as I think everyone agrees, why shouldn't the world welcome an attack on Iraq?
D
Does anybody have any ideas what will happen if Saddam either doesn't turn in a declaration, or it is known to be incomplete (per various intelligence sources)?
My simplistic answer is that the rest of the world hates and fears the U.S. more than they do Iraq. I get that answer by watching many of our liberal lawmakers in action. (Or inaction, to be precise).
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