>From the Duelfer report. While Iraq's WMD capability was virtually eliminated by the first Gulf War, the ISG established, from captured documents and interrogations of Saddam and his imprisoned aides, that he never abandoned his intention to recreate it, focusing on ballistic missile and tactical chemical warfare capability, but not excluding nuclear arms. His aim was to get the post-1991 sanctions lifted to permit such a resumption, and permanent UN Security Council members Russia, France, and China were especially targeted. By 2001, he had substantially undermined the sanctions and was within striking distance of a de facto end to them. He had corrupted the UN's Oil for Food program to acquire foreign exchange for potential weapons development. Procurement was under way for illicit imports of goods and technologies for both conventional arms and WMD. The Duelfer report says the Saddam Hussein regime subverted more than $11 billion for such purposes, primarily by illegal deals with senior foreign government officials.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1020/p08s03-cojh.html --- "Tangorre, Michael" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Saddam was letting thousands of people die by > using the > > humanitarian money to buy off the sanctions so he > could make > > weapons. > > Weapons? What weapons? Last I knew nothing larger > than small arms and > some ammo dumps were located. Surely we didn't > invade Iraq over a couple > RPGs, some AK-47s and a few stashes of ammo.... Did > we? > > The situation would be easier to swallow had we > walked out of that > country with a stockpile of nukes or something, but > we didn't... We got > nothing to prove that Bush's justification for war > was appropriate. > > > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Purchase from House of Fusion, a Macromedia Authorized Affiliate and support the CF community. http://www.houseoffusion.com/banners/view.cfm?bannerid=34 Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:132044 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/5 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:5 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
