Iraqi Report Could Prove Damaging to Germany

Deutsche Welle ^ | December 16, 2002 | Deutsche Welle

[Celtic Conservative]

That they did not portray the antagonists in the movie version of sum of all fears as arabs, but rather as neo -nazis is the number ONE reason I did not go see it and will not go. We mustn't portray arabs negatively , must we?. It seems I recall they had no problem portraying the Irish as bad ass IRA terrorists in patriot games. No problem there, huh?. Pc bulls#$t.

Slainte,

CC

[Madame Dufarge]

Siemens insisted that the device could not be misused because it had commissioned an Iraqi company to regularly monitor the equipment.

Well, with all these safeguards in place, what's the problem?

[bobi]

Read the report. It sais from 1975 and the German government was informed in 1990.

Yeaaahh SOO!!!

Of course they sold weapons to them!! Iraq was fighting Muslim Fundamentalist Iran at the time. France sold them F1 fighters and USA sold them weapons as well.

If Germany was number one seller then Yugoslavia must be number 2. The number of Yugoslav engineers that worked in Iraq over the 1980's is huuuge. Yugoslavian contractors built their bunkers and aircraft shelters. They cooperated on a MRLS design so many other things.

You are reading this with a 00 decade mind set where Iraq is bad and there is a war on terror. In the 1980's Iraq was as good as it got in the Arab world.

[JohnnyZ]

On the other hand, GOP "Governor" Arnold Schwarzenegger has a couple movies with "traditional" enemies that have gotten a lot of criticism: True Lies, with them A-rabs, and Collateral Damage, with the Columbian drug cartels/terrorists.

[MonroeDNA]

We here at FR knew this for some time. It especially got talked about right before Germany's recent elections...how the Bush administration held off, though they culd have blown them out of the water. No slam on the Bush admin--it was the right thing to do at the time.

[Mr. Mojo]

From the article:

In some cases, conventional military and technical dealings between Germany and Iraq are said to date till 2001, ten years after the second Gulf war and a time when international sanctions against Saddam Hussein are still in place.

Did you read that part?

[RobFromGa]

please read the whole article.

[The Old Hoosier]

HOLDEN SIE MEIN BIER, BITTE!!!

[Robert_Paulson2]

... seem strange to anyone that our worst imaginings and fears regarding the "evil" our "friends" have committed behind our backs -- always seems to be proven FACT.

Truth is, conservatives are not paranoid, just right about our "allies" and "friends", like China, Russia, Germany and France... enemies all.

And I surmise that this truth is too hard for us to handle, or Bush/Cheney would tell us up front. These Nations are STILL our enemies. Bitter and secretive, but enemies none the less.

THEY think we don't know. Cannot prove it afterall. They are wrong, and proving it matters not.

I wish I was wrong about Russia, I like their president. Like and Trust are two very different things. Glad we get the missile shield in about 13 mos... 2004 they say, cuz I think we are going to be needing it. Perhaps before then.

[cake_crumb]

OH the IRONY if true. Schroeder must have started breathing normally after his bashing of Bush on Iraq...now this.

[cake_crumb]

"The spokesman however said that the German government of the time in 1990 had informed the parliament about such German supplies to Iraq."

There must be something to this...THAT is definitely that lefty dance so popular on both sides of the pond: The Hindquarter Coverage Scramble.

[cake_crumb]

"Somehow, news that Germany is covertly selling WMD to a nation hellbent on gassing Israel isn't the least bit suprising"

Nope. Same story, new packaging.

[cake_crumb]

"Same story. Different century"

That too.

[cake_crumb]

"Saddam reminds me of Hitler."

Yep. Saddam is a a real Hitler Mini Me...speaking of Germany, Hitler and Saddam (who patterened himself after Hitler), I wonder when we'll find a Yasser/Germany connection as well? After all, Saddam and Yasser are both Nazis, with ties to the Nazi party.

[ex-Texan]

Bush ought to demand that German pilots fly German planes over Iraq and draw fire. Serves them right. Oh, Gerhard Schröder ought to be tied to the tail of one those planes and used as bait.

[cake_crumb]

"Read the report. It sais from 1975 and the German government was informed in 1990"

Wow, YOU'VE read the FULL REPORT ALREADY??

The article states that:

"From annual exports amounting to 21,7 million euro in 1997, the volume of exports for the following year shot to some 76,4 million euro. The trend continued in 2001 with exports to Iraq bringing German firms profits in the range of 336,5 million euro."

[MrPeanut]

Industrial Germany warred for the world in 1912, 1938, and now wars in 2002.

[PoorMuttly]

Verrrry Innterrrrestink !

[MrPeanut]

The Iron Wall came down so East Germany (The real Industrial Germany) could infiltate and spread to establish the foundation for the next world war.

[Steve Eisenberg]

Any one know if this "Deutsche Welle" is a reputable source?

It's the German equivalent of the Voice of America. I haven't listened in years, (actually, I suppose, decades) but I like how, in this story, they frankly describe the paper they are quoting as "left wing."

Yes, I think Deutsche Welle is reputable, as state-owned media goes. Of course, all Deutsche Welle is reporting is that a less reputable source is saying this.