<< Chalabi said current resistance in the country was led by clandestine Baathists: "All the reports about foreign extremists are nonsense," he said: "They are only a small part of it." >>
Agence France Presse July 31, 2004 US Iraq security plan a disaster: Chalabi DATELINE: MADRID Ahmed Chalabi, head of Iraq's National Congress Party and an erstwhile protege of the Pentagon in Washington, said Saturday the American security plan for his country was a disaster. "The first thing that must be done is to abandon this plan which aims to reintegrate the Baathists (the former ruling party of Saddam Hussein)," Chalabi said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper El Pais. "These people will never fall into line with the government, on the contrary they will have a yet greater capacity to perform acts of terror and sabotage," he warned of the Baathists. "The United States security plan in Iraq is a disaster," he was quoted as saying. Chalabi was a protege of Vice President Dick Cheney and Pentagon hawks, but fell into disfavour in Washington. It was reported that senior US officials had alleged he was passing classified US intelligence to Iran. Chalabi and his party were also accused of providing false information on Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass destruction ahead of last year's invasion of Iraq. In his interview, Chalabi said the American plan also ruled out the participation in security issues of Iraqi opposition forces that had fought against Saddam. It would also encourage the espionage services of neighbouring countries friendly with Washington, he added. Chalabi said current resistance in the country was led by clandestine Baathists: "All the reports about foreign extremists are nonsense," he said: "They are only a small part of it." "The Baath Party is a secret society," he continued: "Saddam Hussein provided them with a billion dollars and all sorts of weapons and explosives." The Baathists had an infrastructure and received money from those in the Gulf area who opposed dmeocracy in Iraq. Despite the Iraqi government's demand that the insurgents lay down their weapons, there would be no disarmament as long as the executive was unable to defend the Iraqi people, Chalabi said.
