Larry, There's enough in there that definetely makes this not an open and shut case:
"unable to rule out unofficial movement of limited WMD-related materials." "The survey group said it followed up on reports that a Syrian security officer had discussed collaboration with Iraq on weapons, but it was unable to complete that investigation." Not to mention there's a whole host of other reasons in there to justify taking him out. Larry C. Lyons wrote: > Which was later shown to be incorrect. > > What you did not mention was that the only sites and papers still > playing up this right wingnut fantasy are sites like worldnet and > frontpage. > > http://www.antiwrap.com/?945 > > Report Finds No Evidence Syria Hid Iraqi Arms > > By Dana Priest > Washington Post Staff Writer > Tuesday, April 26, 2005; A01 > > U.S. investigators hunting for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq > have found no evidence that such material was moved to Syria for > safekeeping before the war, according to a final report of the > investigation released yesterday. > > Although Syria helped Iraq evade U.N.-imposed sanctions by shipping > military and other products across its borders, the investigators > "found no senior policy, program, or intelligence officials who > admitted any direct knowledge of such movement of WMD." Because of the > insular nature of Saddam Hussein's government, however, the > investigators were "unable to rule out unofficial movement of limited > WMD-related materials." > > The Iraq Survey Group's main findings -- that Hussein's Iraq did not > possess chemical and biological weapons and had only aspirations for a > nuclear program -- were made public in October in an interim report > covering nearly 1,000 pages. Yesterday's final report, published on > the Government Printing Office's Web site ( http://www.gpo.gov/ ), > incorporated those pages with minor editing and included 92 pages of > addenda that tied up loose ends on Syria and other topics. > > U.S. officials have held out the possibility that Syria worked in > tandem with Hussein's government to hide weapons before the U.S.-led > invasion. The survey group said it followed up on reports that a > Syrian security officer had discussed collaboration with Iraq on > weapons, but it was unable to complete that investigation. But Iraqi > officials whom the group was able to interview "uniformly denied any > knowledge of residual WMD that could have been secreted to Syria," the > report said. > > The report, which refuted many of the administration's principal > arguments for going to war in Iraq, marked the official end of a > two-year weapons hunt led most recently by former U.N. weapons > inspector Charles A. Duelfer. The team found that the 1991 Persian > Gulf War and subsequent U.N. sanctions had destroyed Iraq's illicit > weapons capabilities and that, for the most part, Hussein had not > tried to rebuild them. Iraq's ability to produce nuclear arms, which > the administration asserted was a grave and gathering threat that > required an immediate military response, had "progressively decayed" > since 1991. Investigators found no evidence of "concerted efforts to > restart the program." > > Administration officials have emphasized that, while the survey group > uncovered no banned arms, it concluded that Hussein had not given up > the goal of someday acquiring them. > > Hussein "retained the intent and capability and he intended to resume > full-scale WMD efforts once the U.N. sanctions were lifted," Pentagon > spokesman Bryan Whitman said yesterday. "Duelfer provides plenty of > rationale for why this country went to war in Iraq." > > In one of the addenda released yesterday, investigators addressed the > risk that Iraqi scientists will share their knowledge or material with > other countries, particularly Syria and Iran, given previous contacts, > financial inducements and professional opportunities. The report > concluded that the risk exists but said "there is only very limited > reporting suggesting that this is actually taking place and no reports > that indicate scientists were recruited to work in a WMD program." > > As for the possibility that insurgents in Iraq will draw on the > expertise of Iraqi scientists to develop unconventional weapons for > use against the United States and its coalition forces, the report > describes these efforts so far as being "limited and contained by > coalition action." The survey group was aware of only one scientist > assisting terrorists or insurgents. He helped them fashion chemical > mortar munitions. > > The report found that missing equipment, however, "could contribute to > insurgent or terrorist production of chemical or biological agents." > > In most cases the equipment appeared to have been randomly looted, but > in selected cases it appeared "to be taken away carefully," Duelfer > said in an interview yesterday. Overall, though, "it's like going to a > demolition derby for car parts," said Duelfer. The right equipment "is > hard to get." > > Four military personnel assigned to the survey group's mission > perished in the violence that engulfed Iraq, and five others were > seriously wounded, in a mission that cost hundreds of millions of > dollars. > > No further work is planned, although teams are on hand to be > dispatched when credible reports of weapons material are received in > Iraq. The report says, however, that continued reports of banned arms > in Iraq "are usually scams or misidentification of materials or > activities." It predicts that such reports will continue. > > Although new information may be forthcoming, Duelfer said in an > accompanying letter that he has "confidence in the picture of events > and programs covered by this report." > > "If there were to be a surprise in the future," he added, "it most > likely would be in the biological weapons area" because the size of > those facilities can be so small. > > Duelfer also recommended that the United States release some of the > scientists and technocrats who are still being held captive in Iraq > strictly because of their work on Iraq's weapons programs dating back > to the Gulf War. "Many have been very cooperative and provided great > assistance in understanding the WMD programs" and Iraq's intentions, > and have exhausted their knowledge of these subjects, he wrote. "In my > view, certain detainees are overdue for release." > > Of 300 individuals on a "blacklist" developed by U.S. military and > intelligence officials before the war, 105 have been detained. But the > list, said the report, was flawed. "Some very despicable individuals > who should have been listed were not, while many technocrats and even > opponents of the Saddam regime made the list and hence found > themselves either in jail or on the run." > > The Pentagon's Whitman said that he was unaware of any scientists who > had been released recently because of Duelfer's appeal and that the > Defense Department routinely reviews detainees' status to see "whether > or not they are a threat to the coalition and Iraqi security forces > and whether or not they continue to have intelligence value." > (c) 2005 The Washington Post Company > > On 3/17/06, Kevin Schmidt <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > >> Here you go Larry >> >> http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/01/25/wirq25.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/01/25/ixnewstop.html >> >> "David Kay, the former head of the coalition's hunt for Iraq's weapons >> of mass destruction, yesterday claimed that part of Saddam Hussein's >> secret weapons programme was hidden in Syria." >> >> >> >> Larry C. Lyons wrote: >> >>> So why not provide the citation for it. All over the news is nothing. >>> >>> On 3/17/06, Nick McClure <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >>> >>> >>>> Citation? That was all over the news, Hell Bill Clinton mentioned it on >>>> David Letterman's show after the invasion. >>>> >>>> Dave asked about it, and Clinton said that there was still a lot of stuff >>>> that had never been accounted for, and while Saddam may have destroyed it >>>> he >>>> had to prove they were gone. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>>> -----Original Message----- >>>>> From: Larry C. Lyons [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] >>>>> Sent: Friday, March 17, 2006 11:33 AM >>>>> To: CF-Community >>>>> Subject: Re: Saddam Pretended to have Weapons to prevent Attack >>>>> >>>>> citation for that please. I've heard a lot of people on this list >>>>> claim such but no one has provided data supporting that claim. >>>>> >>>>> Move and moved where for instance. People have been claiming that all >>>>> this stuff has been moved but no supporting evidence for that claim >>>>> has been advanced. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >> > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:5:200462 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=11502.10531.5 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
