The following is an archived copy of a message sent to a Discussion List run by the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
Views expressed in this archived message are those of the author, not of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq.
[Main archive index/search] [List information] [Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq Homepage]
To call the Kay speech to Congress a " report" is paying way to much respect for what appears essentially a media management exercise. The speech pushes lots of buttons but provides very few specifics so it is impossible to judge how well based its claims are. Ones response will depend on how honest you believe CIA officials and reports are. Nevertheless as a biologist by training I thought it worthwhile examining the biological weapons section, and here it is patently obvious that the report contains such gross distortions that it can only have been issued in bad faith. This in turn casts doubt on its other claims that it is impossible for us to verify and must be taken on trust, if at all. Specifically, the report makes claims that "New research on BW-applicable agents, Brucella and Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever (CCHF), and continuing work on ricin and aflatoxin were not declared to the UN." As no further details are given on this work beyond that assertion its difficult to assess how valid it is. It should be noted that CCHF (a tick borne disease) is a disease that is found in Iraq Al-Tikriti S.K. Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in Iraq: isolation, identification and electron microscopy. Acta Virol;24(6)464-467(1980) Tantawi H.H. et Al. Antibodies to Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in domestic animals in Iraq: a seroepidemiological survey. Int J Zoonoses,8(2)115-120(1980) Tikriti S.K. et al. Congo/Crimean haemorrhagic fever in Iraq: a seroepidemiological survey. J Trop Med Hyg.,8(4)117-120(1981) As such it would be incumbent on the health officials to keep reference stocks of the organism as a public health issue. Its use of as a bioweapon is completely unknown (and almost certainly ineffectual - bombing opposing troops with tick infested blankets?). Similar, the claim for ricin and aflatoxin is later amended to "surrogate work with .....and medicinal plants with ricin" - translation - we found some castor beans, as that is the major ricin producing plant. Its difficult to make much of a threat out of a "hill of beans" to quote Casablanca, but that is what David Kay has succeeded in doing. However the distortions in bad faith really begin when discussing Bt toxin and its applicabilty to anthrax production. "Discussions with Iraqi scientists uncovered agent R&D work that paired overt work with nonpathogenic organisms serving as surrogates for prohibited investigation with pathogenic agents. Examples include: B. Thurengiensis (Bt) with B. anthracis (anthrax), and medicinal plants with ricin. In a similar vein, two key former BW scientists, confirmed that Iraq under the guise of legitimate activity developed refinements of processes and products relevant to BW agents. The scientists discussed the development of improved, simplified fermentation and spray drying capabilities for the simulant Bt that would have been directly applicable to anthrax, and one scientist confirmed that the production line for Bt could be switched to produce anthrax in one week if the seed stock were available." The ease in which it is suggested that Bt toxin (the very word toxin of course raises alarm bells in people's minds) is equated to anthrax is simply staggering. The Bt industry in the US has a multi million dollar market as a liquid based pesticide for agricultural spraying. The Bt organism producing a toxin that attacks the digestive gut of many crop pests. This toxin is supposed to be harmless to humans, to the extent that the toxin has been introduced into many GE food crops, including maize, and regularly ingested by all Americans, except those who insist on organic, GE free food. However, in the hands of Iraqis it is being promoted as a surrogate Weapon of Mass Destruction!!! It is entirely plausible that Iraq should wish for an develop a BT pesticide industry - many many other countries have and it is a very basic technology. The toxin is not purified, but rather a wet mix of entire bacterial culture is used as a spray. Considering the limitations on Iraqi chemical manufacture it is clean, affordable and environmentally friendly form of controlling crop pests. To equate the production of this liquid mix with the production of weaponised anthrax is absurd. In the only known attack using anthrax conclusively proved to be US military stocks in October 2001, it was shown to be effective, anthrax had to be weaponised. That is, first grown, then dried and finally milled and aersolised to a fine powder suitable for aerial dispersion. To pretend this is in any form similar to Bt pesticide production is a deceitful claim made in bad faith. To pretend that it would be easy to switch from pesticide production to production of anthrax weapons is simply wrong and a claim that the reporting parties know is wrong. Iraq has every right to manufacture and use Bt sprays. To me, it casts into doubt the veracity of the entire report. This report from a former UN chief inspector highlights the totally partisan and propaganda nature of the UN weapons inspectorate. A fitting ending to a decade long charade. ____________________________________________________________ Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! http://login.mail.lycos.com/r/referral?aid=27005 _______________________________________________ Sent via the discussion list of the Campaign Against Sanctions on Iraq. To unsubscribe, visit http://lists.casi.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/casi-discuss To contact the list manager, email casi-discuss-admin@lists.casi.org.uk All postings are archived on CASI's website: http://www.casi.org.uk