U.S.:Syrians hiding Iraqi weapons for cash

UPI ^ | February 7, 2003 | Richard Sale

[Free the USA]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[ez]

At a recent Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage was questioned about reports that weapons of mass destruction had been moved around Christmastime from Iraq into Syria.

The American Democrat Party, in their zeal to hurt Bush politically, and having delayed any attack in order to influence public opinion, may now stand accused of aiding and abetting the Iraqi War Effort.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Sounds like a few new targets of opportunity have turned up in Syria...

[Maringa]

I suspect that this is truly the case. The proof in the pudding will be when we attack and invade Iraq, and don't don't find any weapons. We will then turn our attention to Syria, who then will send the weapons to Yemen, and so on, and so on.......

[College Repub]

I belive Israeli Intelligence/Debka/Sharon had this info a month or two ago

[Chad Fairbanks]

"Now, I can't give you a level of credibility on other reports as to whether missiles are in other countries. Those countries whom we've approached with our suspicions have vehemently denied (them)."

What the heck were they SUPPOSED to say? "Gee. Why yes, we have them right here. WOuld you like to look at them?"

[elfman2]

"The American Democrat Party, in their zeal to hurt Bush politically, and having delayed any attack…"

The only thing that has delayed our attack is the size and readiness or our military.

[RayChuang88]

Actually, is it possible this may actually be a trap against Iraq?

Given the fact that US-Syrian relations have been less strained in recent years, consider the following:

1. Iraq sends most of its chemical and biological warfare agents to Syria for cash.

2. In reality, some the people picking up the WMD agents work for US intelligence agencies.

3. When the US attacks Iraq and the Iraqi military asks for the WMD agents back, Syria won't send them back because they're already in US hands. :-)

4. After the US defeats Iraq, the WMD agents will be used as evidence against the Iraqi government in war crimes trials.

Wouldn't that be a hoot.

[uncbob]

"The CIA has found no corroborating intelligence on this," he told UPI.

CIA couldn't find its butt in the dark using both hands

[uncbob]

The only thing that has delayed our attack is the size and readiness or our military.

I tend to agree and only hope the training that was so pathetically lacking under Clinton's PC military has been reinstituted and the troops were able to be upgraded

[Publius Maximus]

I hate to say this, but DEBKA reported/speculated about this several weeks ago...

[uncbob]

That would be a great scenario
Could be true if Syria reads the hand writing on the wall correctly

However I don't have that much faith in the CIA after Clinton got done with it

[ravingnutter]

I belive Israeli Intelligence/Debka/Sharon had this info a month or two ago

They did...it was reported here on FR. I could not find the FR links, but these came up in a Google search...

Sharon Says Iraq May Be Hiding Weapons in Syria - Dec 24, 2002

This is not a wise move on Saddam's part...he still hasn't gotten his planes back from Iran after 12 years...

Iran rejects Iraqi request to return planes

[cake_crumb]

Where Syria is concerned, nothing would surprise me.

[TheDon]

I would be somewhat skeptical of such reports. Saddam needs those weapons to use against the US attack. Further, we are talking about tons of materials, tens of thousands of rockets. This is not a small undertaking, and could hardly be made secretly, i.e. the need for support vehicles such as those needed for decontamination and military protection. I doubt Saddam would trust anyone to give back the weapons, or that they would turn on him and use them as proof of his violation of the UN resolutions/post PGW1 surrender terms.

I wouldn't be surprised if Saddam was handing out some of his WMD materials for use by terrorists however. They are his only delivery system which can reach beyond Middle East.

[Axolotl]

Wait a minute here.."rogue elements"? We're talking about the Presidents sister and her husband! A "rogue" element might be some nameless beaurocrat or military commander, but this is pretty close to the top.

Assuming it is in fact true....

[AndrewC]

Sounds like a few new targets of opportunity have turned up in Syria...

We think alike.

[ez]

The only thing that has delayed our attack is the size and readiness or our military.

Negative. They could have begun deployment earlier.

[ravingnutter]

Syria - Terror/Iraqi Ally

A chilling excerpt:

Finally, Israeli intelligence reported that several of Osama bin Laden's wives and children were housed in Damascus, Syria prior to 911, and then moved to covert locations shortly before the attacks.

More on Syria/Iraq connection from Aug 2001:

The United States has quietly acknowledged that Iraq and Syria have rapidly developed military cooperation.

U.S. officials and defense sources said Iraq and Syria have been coordinating in military exercises as well as communications, command and control. They said the cooperation has increased significantly in recent months.

Last week, Iraq and Syria signed a mutual defense pact meant to respond to any Israeli attack, the sources said. The sources said the cooperation is also linked to Iran, Syria's leading ally.

Source