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BBC. 19 March 2002. US says Iraq linked to al-Qaeda. WASHINGTON -- Iraq has had contact with al-Qaeda and may be working with the group, the head of the CIA has told the US Senate. "Baghdad has a long history of supporting terrorism," said George Tenet, director of the Central Intelligence Agency. "It has also had contacts with al-Qaeda," he told the Senate's Armed Services Committee. The comments come as the US Vice-President, Dick Cheney, winds up an international tour aimed at building support for a possible attack against Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, and as Iraqi officials try to shore up support in the region. Mr Tenet did not present any new hard evidence of Iraqi collusion with al-Qaeda to the committee [not surprisingly]. And he said the jury was out on whether Iraq had been involved in the 11 September attacks on New York and Washington, blamed on al-Qaeda. Co-operation between Iraq and al-Qaeda had previously been thought unlikely because of their different philosophies. "Their ties may be limited by divergent ideologies, but the two sides' mutual antipathies toward the United States and the Saudi royal family suggests that tactical co-operation between them is possible," Mr Tenet said. The CIA chief's comments are likely to be seen as providing further grounds for a potential US attack against the Iraqi regime. He said that Saddam Hussein was "well aware" of the "serious consequences" which he could face for co-operation with al-Qaeda. Mr Tenet also insisted that Iraq was continuing with its programme to produce weapons of mass destruction. The BBC's Jon Leyne in Washington says that Mr Tenet's testimony is part of a US attempt to build up a picture of Iraq as a threat to the region. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Barry Stoller http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ProletarianNews --------------------------- ANTI-NATO INFORMATION LIST ==^================================================================ This email was sent to: archive@jab.org EASY UNSUBSCRIBE click here: http://topica.com/u/?a84x2u.a9617B Or send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] T O P I C A -- Register now to manage your mail! http://www.topica.com/partner/tag02/register ==^================================================================
