Iraq CW plant embarrassingly revealed as British-built
London, Mar. 6, IRNA -- An Iraqi chemical weapons plant, which the US
says is one of the reasons the world should go to war to overthrow
Saddam Hussein's regime, was secretly built by Britain in 1985, it
was revealed Thursday.
Documents show that British ministers knew that the Pnds 14
million (Dlrs 22 m) plant, called Falluja 2, was likely to be used
for mustard and nerve gas at a time when Iraq was using chemical
weapons during its war against Iran, according to the Guardian.
The then Thatcher government was said to have even given secret
financial backing to Udhe Ltd., a German-owned British company
involved in the building of the chlorine plant, through state
insurance guarantees.
Like other Western countries, Britain supported Iraq in its war
against Iran and never directly accused Saddam of using chemical
weapons until it became more diplomatically expedient.
The Guardian reported that Paul Channon, British Trade Minister at
the time, instructed the Export Credit Guarantee Department to keep
details of the deal secret from the public. He was said to have even
concealed the existence of the contract from the US administration.
The disclosure comes after Falluja 2, 80 kms outside Baghdad, was
identified in US Secretary of State Colin Powell's dossier of why the
world should go to war against Iraq, which was presented to the UN
Security Council last month.
Embarrassing for Britain, which has been the lead country in
supporting the currently planned US invasion, the plant was
pinpointed as a example of a factory being rebuilt by Saddam to
regain his chemical weapons capability.
At the time, Channon was said to have rejected a plea from Foreign
Office Minister Richard Luce that the deal would ruin Britain's image
in the world if the news got out. The Defence Ministry also warned
that the plant could be used to make chemical weapons.
But in line with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher's policy
of propping up Saddam, the Trade Minister was quoted saying that a
"ban would do other trade prospects in Iraq no good."
Further damaging for Britain's case to support US military action
is the disclose that the UK public had to foot a Pnds 300,000
compensation payment to Udhe after final checks on the plant were
interrupted by the 1991 war against Iraq.
HC/RR
End
http://www.irna.com/en/head/030306131319.ehe.shtml
