Posted on 01/29/2003 4:57:54 PM PST by chance33_98
Inspectors’ Reports “Unbalanced”, VX, Anthrax Agents Degraded: Iraq
BAGDHAD, January 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – The reports submitted to the U.N. Security Council Monday, January 27, by Hans Blix and Mohamed El-Baradei on inspection in Iraq were unbalanced in reporting the facts, a top aide of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein charged Tuesday, January 28.
Speaking at a press conference, General Amr Rashid stressed that the reports minimized positive aspects related to Iraq’s full cooperation with the U.N. inspectors and maximized few negative points.
He asserted that Iraq has unconditionally allowed the return of U.N. inspectors to the country, gave them unfettered access to all sites and places and even halted the production process in some sites to confirm full cooperation.
This, he said, was briefly mentioned in the reports whereas few negative aspects were so exaggerated that the reports gave the impression Iraq was not cooperating, Rashid charged.
He slammed the reports for not commenting on American and British allegations that Iraq possess weapons of mass destruction which, he said, the inspectors proved to be ungrounded.
“We had expected the inspectors to tell the world that these claims were sheer lies and were only serving political goals,” he said.
The Iraqi officials called on the U.N. Security Council to intervene to prevent Washington and London from meddling in the inspection process and laying pressures on the U.N. inspectors.
Commenting on the fuss about Iraq’s refusal to allow U.N. experts to use U-2 planes, the Iraqi official underlined that Baghdad did not refuse to allow the U.N. to use these planes.
“Blix asked Iraq to guarantee the safety of the U.N. planes while flying in the Iraqi airspace.
“We would not do that simply because hostile warplane violates Iraqi airspace on a daily bases,” he stressed.
In order to guarantee the safety of the U.N. planes we would have had to stop all our anti-aircraft ground defenses and give Anglo-American war planes ample ability to strike our sites, said the Iraqi officials.
“This would have weakened our military capabilities to defend our territorial integrity and this we simply can not do,” Rashid averred.
Taking up the claim that Baghdad was blocking interviews with Iraqi scientists, the official asserted that Iraq had agreed with Blix and El-Baradei on encouraging scientists to meet with U.N. experts and most of them have agreed to do that.
But, if some scientists refuse to be interviewed that is their own decision and we can not force them to meet U.N. experts.
Rashid defied the U.S. to hand over to U.N. inspectors any evidence that Iraq was developing chemical weapons.
“Any VX nerve agent and anthrax Iraq had once produced had degraded,” he averred.
"If the United States has evidence, give it to UNMOVIC," Rashid said, asserting that this would "prove the false allegations and vindications by the U.S. administration.
The Iraqi official said Iraq had only had "experimental production" of VX nerve agent.
"We were unable to arrive at a reasonable purity of VX. That means VX material will deteriorate in a short time, possible two to three years.
"It is unnecessary to even know that quantity" because it has all degraded, Rashid said.
On anthrax, Rashid said "we proved unable to have it in powder form, only liquid ... which has a shelf life of only a few years."
"We know what we have and what we don't have," said Rashid, adding that it was in Iraq's interests to settle any pending issues on the weapons of mass destruction Washington alleges it has.
El-Baradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said Tuesday the U.N. arms report was balanced, and warned Iraq time was running out to prove it had no banned weapons.
"I asked for extra months" to continue inspections in Iraq, he told Qatar's Al-Jazeera satellite television station, adding that he was not sure whether the arms teams would receive an extension.
"If Iraq does not show full cooperation, I would not be sure of being able to obtain this extension."
The Democrats' Case Against Saddam Hussein (Dems nailed, yet again)
Headline Rundown and links on Iraq - Things the democrats have conviently forgot...
Saddam Abused His Last Chance, Clinton -clear and present danger to safety of people everywhere 1998
Gore repeats that Saddam MUST GO - June 2000
What the democrats want you to forget
Iraq is a Regional Threat, capable of as much as 200 tons of VX nerve agent (1999 Clinton report)
Czech military reports say iraq has smallpox virus in weapons stockpile (and camelpox)
Iraqi chemical weapons buildup reported (Sept 2001 Report)
Clinton, Gore rally domestic support for strike at Iraq, "unholy axis" (1998 Must read)
statement President Clinton from 1998 on the air strikes
Iraq Liberation Act of 1998 - Full Text, Sense of Congress - Remove Saddam
thanks for all the links.
I guess we can get rid of all the armed guards at the Newport (IN) Army ammo plant.
That stuff has been there for at least 30 years.
Sheesh. Before they decided on this Press Release, did they stop to think somebody might ask where the stuff is now?
It self-destructs over time. The few tons they have is capable of killing and disabling only a fraction of what the fresh material could. Only 9 million instead of 10 million casualties.
< /sarc >
I participated in the movement of the VX stockpiles from Denver's Rocky Mountain Arsenal to a secure location in Utah around 1980.
That "degraded" VX from WWII was still potent enough years later, that I had to kick dead birds off the the steps of the building each morning.
That "degraded" VX from WWII was still potent enough, that the Governor of Colorado sat right next to me during the movement. If I detected any leaks, he would immediately order an evacuation of the city of Denver.
Here's how I picture "Hapless-Hans" Blix ...
He's like Homer Simpson playing a crazy game of Clue in which the cards that indicate the real weapon, room and murderer keep getting changed by his opponent named Saddam. Saddam also lies when answering Homer's questions.
Hans doesn't stand a chance because he is playing by the rules and won't tell Saddam to obey the rules, too.
"We are unable to kill quite so many people as before, therefore we are fully complying with the U. N. resolution."
When I was in ROTC in the mid 80's, part of our duties (for pay) was assisting with guard duties at Newport, at the time they wanted to build an incinerator to get rid of all the VX & other stuff they would never use, the Indy & Terre Haute papers had an editorial campaign against it & it's all still there.
BTW, I can tell if the newsies know what they are talking about based on whether they call VX a nerve agent or a nerve gas, everything at Newport is liquid, skin contact nerve agent
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