German "Spiegel": Saddam Building Poison Labs in 2000. BND Knew

"Spiegel Online" ^ | February 22, 2003 | "Spiegel Online"

[fru]

thank you, fru.

No problem. One thing I don't like about Spiegel are their exaggerating headlines. The actual article usually tends to be a lot more careful..

Did you see their series titled "Anatomie einer Krise. Das Imperium americanum schlägt zurück"? I found it to be very informative about what's actually behind recent German-American irritations, from the German point of view.

[longjack]

I find the "Spiegel" headlines difficult. They use puns / word play often, it seems.

I have looked at the "Imperium Americanum" series, as I try to figure out why relations have deterioated so fast. It is upsetting for me to see German/American relations deteriorate, too, since i have still some close ties there. There is always the possibility for me to move over there, also.

Thanks again.

longjack

[Cachelot]

The German government is saying the trucks they delivered in the 80's could only detect gas, not produce it, ergo, not our fault

They're lying through their yellow nasty mandibles.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/846588/posts

Germany sold eight mobile laboratories to Iraq in the 1980s, reports the German-language New Zurich Newspaper.

According to a story in the Swiss paper yesterday, Iraq received the facilities for the purpose of producing biological and chemical weapons. Development expert Hans Branscheidt claims he personally saw the vehicles in action on several occasions in 1988, reports the paper.

"What is certain is that at least eight of these mobile laboratories were delivered from the Federal Republic of Germany to Iraq as late as the end of the eighties," Branscheidt is quoted as saying in the New Zurich Newspaper. According to the report, he also confirmed his comments to the Reuters news service.

There's more data on this around, including more detail on the capabilities of these labs. They seemed to be focussed mainly on bio stuff.

[ez]

The German trucks would be used to test if it is safe for Saddam’s troops to advance after poison gas deployments by the Iraqi Army.

Why should Saddam spend the French oil money on trucks to detect WMDs? All he has to do is keep sending "jihadis" outside one at a time until one doesn't die. That's more his style anyway.

[longjack]

The lead-in to the article says Saddam was building these at least up to 2000. Is there a German connection to those ?

longjack

[Cachelot]

The lead-in to the article says Saddam was building these at least up to 2000. Is there a German connection to those

If I was to make a guess, I'd say that Iraq received fully functional labs from Germany up to the date Branscheidt says, and from there built their own using the German labs as "templates", and buying parts and services from German firms. That would fit the MO from the uranium centrifuge project, where they got a finished centrifuge (which I believe was later dismantled but not before they had toroughly reverse-engineered it). Germany then proceeded to give them supposedly secret technical specs on the centrifuges, including a detailed "how to build".

[longjack]

Thanks cachelot.

The other factor is that these labs exist, or haven't been accounted for, otherwise the BND wouldn't signify knowledge of them. The article did say it was reported to the Chancellor's office. The Chancellor has said there is no evidence of WMD. These must not be WMD, or, the Chancellor is being discrete, shall we say.

I also agree with fru's point that it was really almost a non-item that made it to "Spiegel". The article, BTW wasn't on the home page the last I looked, although I don't think that's unusual. The link still works.

Actually, the most interesting aspect for me was that it was on the "Spiegel" home page.

longjack

[longjack]

Here's an update from Yahoo-Germany through the dpa. The dpa report is essentially the same. The 2nd paragraphs includes this information;

A spokesman for the Federal government declined to comment on the content of the "Spiegel" article. The dates given in the report concerning the alleged construction of such facilities are wrong in any case, the spokesman said on Saturday. There were no comments available from the BND."

Yahoo-Germany...«Spiegel»: BND wusste von mobilen irakischen Gift-Laboren

longjack

[pepsionice]

Does anyone see the repeat of Clinton's mistakes here? Clinton never wanted a single report from the CIA...he only accepted from the WH advisors or the state department. Only the chief of the CIA was ever allowed in to brief Clinton, and it was typically a 20 minute session. One wonders if Schroeder has the same type situation with the BND.

Based on the military ministers comments of the past month (Stuck?)...it would appear he rarely gets any time with Schroeder either. There have been at least a dozen mis-steps between the two that I can count. Is Schroeder just locking himself in the girlfriend's place and playing footsie with her. Or is she coloring his hair?

If he is simply accepting his 'special advisors' then? And so, who are they? I think Bild ought to look for that answer. Obviously, someone has a inside connection to the dimwit.

[longjack]

I had Deutsche Welle radio on a little early, waiting to listen to the Bundesliga games. Someone was on talking about the germ warfare, smallpox danger. In an inimitable, intellectual, analytical style the speaker basically blew off the terrorism threat by saying it didn't exist. The smallpox scare was blown out of proportion, which may be true, but this guy didn't think it existed.

Basically the theory was that terrorists couldn't get enough material to kill large masses of people unless they had some national government connection, which means other governments would know about it. It also came through that isolated attacks may kill a few hundred or so, but nothing that should cause such widespread hysteria. Bush only heightened the hysteria by ordering the stockpiles of smallpox vaccinations. The moderator asked how to remedy that. The answer: politicians can solve it.

That intellectual assuredness is hard to defend against. It allows these people to self-righteously continue their discussions around the Stammtisch about how the CIA staged 9/11, without, of course, the pangs of conscience associated with the concern for the safety of your loved ones and fellow citizens, or, how to secure that safety.

longjack