-Caveat Lector- http://foxnews.com/story/0,2933,40710,00.html
WJPBR Email News List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Peace at any cost is a Prelude to War! Iraqi Defector Warns Congress of Saddam's Weapons Wednesday, December 12, 2001 By Kelley Beaucar Vlahos WASHINGTON — A former director of Iraq's nuclear weapons program warned lawmakers Wednesday that if the United States does not topple Saddam Hussein immediately, the Iraqi dictator will possess three nuclear missiles by 2005. American-educated Dr. Khidir Hamza, who defected from Iraq in 1995 after serving as the Iraqi dictator's top official for nuclear weapons development, told a bipartisan task force that his estimation was a conservative one. "When I left, we designed one missile," and were acquiring the materials from foreign stockpiles to build it, Hamza said, adding that the U.N. weapons inspections that ended in 1998 were the only measures that ever put a dent in Saddam's plans. While Saddam's nuclear program was still in the development stages at the time weapons inspectors arrived on the scene, Saddam had already used biological and chemical weapons against Iranian soldiers in the 1980s and Iraq's own Kurdish civilians, Hamza told the bicameral Bipartisan Task Force on Nonproliferation. As Hamza described a violent and paranoid leader who would set off on drunken binges and hysterical rages, lawmakers in the House Foreign Relations Committee Wednesday passed a resolution — now headed to a full House vote — that demands that Iraq allow "immediate, unconditional and unrestricted access" to its weapons programs. Any refusal, according to the measure, "presents a mounting threat to the United States, its allies and international peace and security." The resolution followed President Bush's recent threat warning Saddam to open his country to weapons inspectors or find out the hard way the consequences of refusal. The focus on Iraq picked up clarity in recent weeks as congressional leaders urged President Bush to make the despotic nation the next target in the war on terror. Several lawmakers have also asked Bush to release $10 million in appropriated funds to Iraq's parliament-in-exile, the Iraqi National Congress. The Bush administration is moving cautiously, however, saying that only loose connections have been made tying Saddam's regime to the Sept. 11 attacks, and allies are uneasy about taking him down. Hamza said the longer the United States plays softball with Saddam, the more time he has to work on his nuclear weapons program. Hamza suggested that a small U.S. force similar to that in Afghanistan today could encourage anti-regime factions, as well as disloyal Iraqi soldiers, to defect and bring down the dictator. He said dropping bombs strategically on Baghdad would help smoke Saddam out. Asked if Hamza's story compelled him to push for the topple of the regime, task force co-chair Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said he wanted to be sure that if the United States were to move into Iraq, its mission would be strategically sound. "I don't think there's a debate about whether or not to take out Saddam Hussein — I think if any member of Congress had a magic wand they would eliminate him immediately," he said. "The question is whether we have the military capacity to undertake that and to manage it if a civil war were to break out. We're trying to determine that by listening to the experts." *COPYRIGHT NOTICE** In accordance with Title 17 U. S. C. Section 107, any copyrighted work in this message is distributed under fair use without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for nonprofit research and educational purposes only.[Ref. http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml ] Want to be on our lists? Write at [EMAIL PROTECTED] for a menu of our lists! Write to same address to be off lists! <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance—not soap-boxing—please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'—with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds—is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
