Iraqi drone 'could drop chemicals on troops' (See Para #2 of story -- MUST READ)

London Times ^ | 8 March 2003 | James Bone

[PhiKapMom]

March 08, 2003

Iraqi drone 'could drop chemicals on troops'
From James Bone in New York

A REPORT declassified by the United Nations yesterday contained a hidden bombshell with the revelation that inspectors have recently discovered an undeclared Iraqi drone with a wingspan of 7.45m, suggesting an illegal range that could threaten Iraq’s neighbours with chemical and biological weapons.

US officials were outraged that Hans Blix, the chief UN weapons inspector, did not inform the Security Council about the drone, or remotely piloted vehicle, in his oral presentation to Foreign Ministers and tried to bury it in a 173-page single-spaced report distributed later in the day. The omission raised serious questions about Dr Blix’s objectivity.

“Recent inspections have also revealed the existence of a drone with a wingspan of 7.45m that has not been declared by Iraq,” the report said. “Officials at the inspection site stated that the drone had been test-flown. Further investigation is required to establish the actual specifications and capabilities of these RPV drones . . . (they) are restricted by the same UN rules as missiles, which limit their range to 150km (92.6 miles).

Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, told the Security Council in February that Washington had evidence that Iraq had test-flown a drone in a race-track pattern for 500km non-stop.

In another section of the declassified report, the inspectors give warning that Iraq still has spraying devices and drop tanks that could be used in dispersing chemical and biological agents from aircraft. “A large number of drop tanks of various types, both imported and locally manufactured, are available and could be modified,” it says.

The paper, obtained by The Times, details the possible chemical and biological arsenal that British and US Forces could face in an invasion of Iraq. The paper suggests that Iraq has huge stockpiles of anthrax, may be developing long-range missiles and could possess chemical and biological R400 aerial bombs and Scud missiles, and even smallpox.

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, told his fellow Security Council Foreign Ministers that the document was a“chilling read”.

General Powell resorted to reading passages from the paper out loud in the Council chamber. He pointed out that it chronicled nearly 30 times when Iraq had failed to provide credible evidence to substantiate its claims, and 17 instances when inspectors uncovered evidence that contradicted those claims. But his draft copy, dating from a meeting of the inspectors’ advisory board last week, did not contain the crucial passage about the new drone.

The decision by Dr Blix to declassify the internal report marks the first time the UN has made public its suspicions about Iraq’s banned weapons programmes, rather than what it has been able to actually confirm. “Unmovic has credible information that the total quantity of biological warfare agent in bombs, warheads and in bulk at the time of the Gulf War was 7,000 litres more than declared by Iraq. This additional agent was most likely all anthrax,” it says.

The report says there is “credible information” indicating that 21,000 litres of biological warfare agent, including some 10,000 litres of anthrax, was stored in bulk at locations around the country during the war and was never destroyed.

The paper, a collection of 29 “clusters” of questions for Iraq, offers some reassurance about Iraq’s missing botulinum toxin, which Unmovic believed is “unlikely to retain much, if any, of its potency” if it has been stockpiled since 1991.

[Mo1]

SNL is doing a skit on Clinton and Dole night now

[Howlin]

I will say this again: I do NOT think the drone mentioned in this article is the same one that Powell showed picturs of on February 5th.


The drone in this article has a 25 foot wingspan and is capable of going to other countries near Iraq.

[Miss Marple]

Nope. She thinks she will get them all out on a limb and saw it off. Then she can get the nomination.

[Howlin]

Did we not know it was coming.

[marajade]

She's dreaming... Can you imagine voting for her?

[Miss Marple]

Voting for her? Heck, I don't even want to have her campaign within 50 miles of me! I don't have enough garlic and silver crosses!

[Howlin]

Post 8. It's been removed by the moderator.

You'll have to find something else to reference.

Lighten up.

[marajade]

"Show us where President Bush knew of the drone that was just found by the inspectors but buried within the report and also not in the Powell draft..."

In his 2/5 speech to the UN... He didn't mention these drones but smaller ones... A drone is a drone to me... A bigger one is even more a threat...

Have you read all the threads pertaining to this subject tonight?

[wendellscout]

Thanks for another welcoming post! I have quickly picked up on the quality of people here. A wealth of knowledge indeed. I can finally voice my opinion and get educated at the same time!

[PhiKapMom]

I am going to try to explain this one more time! See if you and the other guy can comprehend!

Our intelligence people had discovered the existence of the drones and Powell briefed the intelligence report at the UN on 5 February. The Intelligence people turned all the information over to Blix and heard nothing back about finding the drones.

In fact in Blix's second presentation and in this last one, Blix dissed all of our Intelligence reports. Surprise, surprise -- the inspectors had found the drones that we had told them about, but Blix not only did not report on the finding but left it out of his draft report.

When the people were leaving the UN on Friday afternoon they were handed a report with 173 pages in it which was six pages more than the draft report. Buried in that 173 page report was the discussion of finding the drones and their capability to carry chemical weapons.

Now for the last time -- our intelligence said they had drones, the inspectors dissed our intelligence, but then found the drones and didn't tell us or the world about it during Blix's report to the Security Countil on Friday.

Now is that clear?

[Calpernia]

What was post #8?

[Mo1]

true..

[deport]

Do you have to know what you are talking about to post here? Damn site would be nearly empty if that was the case.....

Now did they know about the drone that was found by the inspectors? How do you know that. It wasn't in the draft version that Powell had....

What #8, the one that got pulled?

Now you have a nice one Ethyl.

[PhiKapMom]

How long as Free Republic been in existence?

[Howlin]

Hold up......I think you're right about the drones Powell talked about on the 5th, but I still think this new drone is yet another one that we REALLY didn't know about.

I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

[deport]

How long as Free Republic been in existence?

---

Not as long as Ms. Ethyl has been lurking....

Actually the Number One Man, signed up on 11-28-97

[Miss Marple]

Hey, deport! About those drones...they don't have to get them INTO the US. I think they could launch them from ships at sea. Not a big danger for me here in Indy, but coastal cities would be sitting ducks.

[Calpernia]

It is to me. And I totally agree with you.

[marajade]

Too didn't someone say they could dismantle them and them reassemble them and that they were easy to transport disassembled?

[Miss Marple]

I think you are correct.