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[casi-analysis] casi-news digest, Vol 1 #42 - 3 msgs



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This is an automated compilation of submissions to newsclippings@casi.org.uk

Articles for inclusion in this daily news mailing should be sent to newsclippings@casi.org.uk. 
Please include a full reference to the source of the article.

Today's Topics:

   1. U.S. Unloading WMD in Iraq (bluepilgrim)
   2. WMD's to be "found" in IRAQ?? (ppg)
   3. Iraqi Leaders Balk at Giving U.N. Big Role (ppg)

--__--__--

Message: 1
Date: Sun, 14 Mar 2004 03:14:17 -0600
To: newsclippings@casi.org.uk
From: bluepilgrim <bluepilgrim@DELETETHISgrics.net>
Subject: U.S. Unloading WMD in Iraq

http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=3D3/13/2004&Cat=3D4&Num=3D011

March 13, 2004

U.S. Unloading WMD in Iraq

TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) =96 Over the past few days, in the wake of the
bombings in Karbala and the ideological disputes that delayed the signing
of Iraq=92s interim constitution, there have been reports that U.S. forces
have unloaded a large cargo of parts for constructing long-range missiles
and weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the southern ports of Iraq.

A reliable source from the Iraqi Governing Council, speaking on condition
of anonymity, told the Mehr News Agency that U.S. forces, with the help of
British forces stationed in southern Iraq, had made extensive efforts to
conceal their actions.

He added that the cargo was unloaded during the night as attention was
still focused on the aftermath of the deadly bombings in Karbala and the
signing of Iraq=92s interim constitution.

The source said that in order to avoid suspicion, ordinary cargo ships were
used to download the cargo, which consisted of weapons produced in the
1980s and 1990s.

He mentioned the fact that the United States had facilitated Iraq=92s WMD
program during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq and said that some of the weapons
being downloaded are similar to those weapons, although international
inspectors had announced Saddam Hussein=92s Baath regime had destroyed all
its WMD.

The source went on to say that the rest of the weapons were probably
transferred in vans to an unknown location somewhere in the vicinity of
Basra overnight.

=93Most of these weapons are of Eastern European origin and some parts are
from the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. The U.S. obtained them
through confiscations during sales of banned arms over the past two
decades,=94 he said.

This action comes as certain U.S. and Western officials have been pointing
out the fact that no weapons of mass destruction have been discovered in
Iraq and the issue of Saddam=92s trial begins to take center stage.

In addition, former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has emphasized
that the U.S. and British intelligence agencies issued false reports on
Iraq leading to the U.S. attack.

Meanwhile, the suspicious death of weapons inspector David Kelly is also an
unresolved issue in Britain.

------Occupation Forces Official Claims to Have No Information About
Transfer of WMD to Iraq -------

A security official for the coalition forces in Iraq said that he has not
received any information about the unloading of weapons of mass destruction
in ports in southern Iraq.

Shane Wolf told the Mehr News Agency that the occupation forces have
received no reports on such events, but said he hoped that the coalition
forces would find the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction one day.

Coalition forces and inspectors have so far been unable to find any Iraqi
weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. invaded Iraq under the pretext that
Iraq possessed a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction.




--__--__--

Message: 2
From: "ppg" <ppg@DELETETHISnyc.rr.com>
To: <newsclippings@casi.org.uk>
Subject: WMD's to be "found" in IRAQ??
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:06:22 -0500

http://tinyurl.com/358k6

Tehran Times, March 13

TEHRAN (Mehr News Agency) =96 Over the past few days, in the wake of the
bombings in Karbala and the ideological disputes that delayed the signing o=
f
Iraq=92s interim constitution, there have been reports that U.S. forces hav=
e
unloaded a large cargo of parts for constructing long-range missiles and
weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in the southern ports of Iraq.

A reliable source from the Iraqi Governing Council, speaking on condition o=
f
anonymity, told the Mehr News Agency that U.S. forces, with the help of
British forces stationed in southern Iraq, had made extensive efforts to
conceal their actions.

He added that the cargo was unloaded during the night as attention was stil=
l
focused on the aftermath of the deadly bombings in Karbala and the signing
of Iraq=92s interim constitution.

The source said that in order to avoid suspicion, ordinary cargo ships were
used to download the cargo, which consisted of weapons produced in the 1980=
s
and 1990s.

He mentioned the fact that the United States had facilitated Iraq=92s WMD
program during the 1980-1988 Iran-Iraq and said that some of the weapons
being downloaded are similar to those weapons, although international
inspectors had announced Saddam Hussein=92s Baath regime had destroyed all =
its
WMD.

The source went on to say that the rest of the weapons were probably
transferred in vans to an unknown location somewhere in the vicinity of
Basra overnight.

=93Most of these weapons are of Eastern European origin and some parts are
from the former Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc. The U.S. obtained them
through confiscations during sales of banned arms over the past two
 decades,=94 he said.

This action comes as certain U.S. and Western officials have been pointing
out the fact that no weapons of mass destruction have been discovered in
Iraq and the issue of Saddam=92s trial begins to take center stage.

In addition, former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has emphasized tha=
t
the U.S. and British intelligence agencies issued false reports on Iraq
leading to the U.S. attack.

Meanwhile, the suspicious death of weapons inspector David Kelly is also an
unresolved issue in Britain.

------Occupation Forces Official Claims to Have No Information About
Transfer of WMD to Iraq -------

A security official for the coalition forces in Iraq said that he has not
received any information about the unloading of weapons of mass destruction
in ports in southern Iraq.

Shane Wolf told the Mehr News Agency that the occupation forces have
received no reports on such events, but said he hoped that the coalition
forces would find the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction one day.

Coalition forces and inspectors have so far been unable to find any Iraqi
weapons of mass destruction. The U.S. invaded Iraq under the pretext that
Iraq possessed a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction.



--__--__--

Message: 3
From: "ppg" <ppg@DELETETHISnyc.rr.com>
To: <newsclippings@casi.org.uk>
Subject:  Iraqi Leaders Balk at Giving U.N. Big Role
Date: Mon, 15 Mar 2004 10:18:39 -0500

Some Iraqi Leaders Now Balk at Giving U.N. a Big Role
By DEXTER FILKINS

New York Times,  March 15, 2004
http://tinyurl.com/2nyc4

BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 14 =97 In a surprising turnabout, several Iraqi leader=
s
are balking at allowing the United Nations to return to the country to help
it prepare for the return of sovereignty on June 30.

Several members of the Iraqi Governing Council, which clamored for United
Nations help on elections weeks ago, now say they are reluctant to give the
organization a big role either in helping to prepare the Iraqi government t=
o
stand on its own or in readying the country for nationwide elections =97 to
take place as early as December.

 Advertisement


Those council members, whose skepticism about the United Nations dates from
the time of Saddam Hussein, said they had been disappointed by the failure
of a team of United Nations experts who visited the country recently to hel=
p
schedule early elections.

"We have had bad experiences with the U.N. in the past," said Yonadam Kanna=
,
a member of the Iraqi Governing Council. "There is a difference of opinion
on what their role should be here."

The about-face by these council members has prompted concern among American
officials here and in Washington, who are eager to enlist the help of the
United Nations in preparing the Iraqi government to accept sovereignty by
June 30. The worry is that without United Nations' help, the Iraqi
government might lack legitimacy in the eyes of ordinary Iraqis.

At the same time, American officials feel strongly that United Nations' hel=
p
is crucial in enabling the Iraqis to hold elections by the end of the year
or by early January 2005, as called for in the country's interim
constitution.

A senior American official, Robert Blackwill, met with council members over
the weekend in an effort to overcome their reluctance about the United
Nations role. Whether Mr. Blackwill had succeeded was unclear, though at
least one member of the Iraqi Governing Council, Mowaffak al-Rubaie, emerge=
d
from a meeting with Mr. Blackwill and indicated he approved of accepting th=
e
help of the United Nations.

"We need to get the United Nations involved in the political discussion in
Iraq," Mr. Rubaie said, adding, "We need them to have a role here. We need
them immediately."

But some Iraqi leaders continued to express deep skepticism about whether
the United Nations should be allowed to return to take a role in Iraq.
Intifad Qanbar, a spokesman for Ahmed Chalabi, a member of the council, sai=
d
that while the United Nations might have a role in the country, it ought to
be strictly limited.

"There is a track record that shows the U.N. is not efficient in these
things," Mr. Qanbar said. "We cannot have anyone overseeing or managing thi=
s
Iraqi process from outside Iraq."

The hostility expressed by some Iraqi leaders comes at a delicate time, as
the Americans are preparing, in little more than three months, to turn over
sovereignty to an Iraqi government that was not elected by the Iraqis. The
current Iraqi council, made up of 25 men and women, was appointed by the
Americans.

Iraqi and American officials have discussed ways of making the Iraqi
government more representative in time for the June 30 hand-over. Among the
possibilities is expanding the current council, although there has been wid=
e
disagreement over how its new members might be selected. Some Iraqi leaders
say they would like United Nations' help in figuring out a way, short of
elections, of making a revamped Governing Council more representative.

United Nations assistance is also thought to be crucial in laying the
groundwork for nationwide elections either late this year or early next
year. Earlier this year, a United Nations team led by Lakhdar Brahimi, an
Algerian diplomat, concluded that while it was impossible to hold credible
elections before June 30, it might be possible by the end of the year. That=
,
the United Nations team said, depended on Iraqi leaders' taking a number of
steps, like setting up an electoral commission and writing laws governing
future elections.

So far, the Iraqi Governing Council has not taken those steps.

United Nations officials, including Secretary General Kofi Annan, have said
that they will return to Iraq only if they are invited to do so. So far, no
such invitation has been extended. Iraqi leaders say the Governing Council
drafted a letter to the United Nations last week in which the council
pointedly failed to ask it to return. That letter, for reasons that are
unclear, has not been sent, the Iraqis said.

The suspicion with which the United Nations is regarded by many Iraqis date=
s
from the time of Mr. Hussein, when the organization enforced the global
economic sanctions on the government and presided over such unpopular
programs as inspections for unconventional weapons.

Some Iraqi leaders said that antipathy toward the United Nations was
reinforced when the team of experts, led by Mr. Brahimi, concluded that
elections were not possible before June 30, and that Shiite leaders directe=
d
some rancor at Mr. Brahimi personally.








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