Iraq

[Dúnedain]

...continued

According to Iraq's December 7 declaration, its UAVs have a range of only 80 kilometers. But we detected one of Iraq's newest UAVs in a test flight that went 500 kilometers nonstop on autopilot in the race track pattern depicted here.

Not only is this test well in excess of the 150 kilometers that the United Nations permits, the test was left out of Iraq's December 7th declaration. The UAV was flown around and around and around in a circle. And so, that its 80 kilometer limit really was 500 kilometers unrefueled and on autopilot, violative of all of its obligations under 1441.

The linkages over the past 10 years between Iraq's UAV program and biological and chemical warfare agents are of deep concern to us. Iraq could use these small UAVs which have a wingspan of only a few meters to deliver biological agents to its neighbors or if transported, to other countries, including the United States.

Maybe Iraqis just manufacture their conventional weapons to a higher standard than we do, but I don't think so.

Second, we actually have examined tubes from several different batches that were seized clandestinely before they reached Baghdad. What we notice in these different batches is a progression to higher and higher levels of specification, including, in the latest batch, an anodized coating on extremely smooth inner and outer surfaces. Why would they continue refining the specifications, go to all that trouble for something that, if it was a rocket, would soon be blown into shrapnel when it went off?

The high tolerance aluminum tubes are only part of the story. We also have intelligence from multiple sources that Iraq is attempting to acquire magnets and high-speed balancing machines; both items can be used in a gas centrifuge program to enrich uranium.

In 1999 and 2000, Iraqi officials negotiated with firms in Romania, India, Russia and Slovenia for the purchase of a magnet production plant. Iraq wanted the plant to produce magnets weighing 20 to 30 grams. That's the same weight as the magnets used in Iraq's gas centrifuge program before the Gulf War. This incident linked with the tubes is another indicator of Iraq's attempt to reconstitute its nuclear weapons program.

Intercepted communications from mid-2000 through last summer show that Iraq front companies sought to buy machines that can be used to balance gas centrifuge rotors. One of these companies also had been involved in a failed effort in 2001 to smuggle aluminum tubes into Iraq.

People will continue to debate this issue, but there is no doubt in my mind, these elicit procurement efforts show that Saddam Hussein is very much focused on putting in place the key missing piece from his nuclear weapons program, the ability to produce fissile material. He also has been busy trying to maintain the other key parts of his nuclear program, particularly his cadre of key nuclear scientists.

It is noteworthy that, over the last 18 months, Saddam Hussein has paid increasing personal attention to Iraqi's top nuclear scientists, a group that the governmental-controlled press calls openly, his nuclear mujahedeen. He regularly exhorts them and praises their progress. Progress toward what end?

Long ago, the Security Council, this council, required Iraq to halt all nuclear activities of any kind.

Let me talk now about the systems Iraq is developing to deliver weapons of mass destruction, in particular Iraq's ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs.

First, missiles. We all remember that before the Gulf War Saddam Hussein's goal was missiles that flew not just hundreds, but thousands of kilometers. He wanted to strike not only his neighbors, but also nations far beyond his borders.

While inspectors destroyed most of the prohibited ballistic missiles, numerous intelligence reports over the past decade, from sources inside Iraq, indicate that Saddam Hussein retains a covert force of up to a few dozen Scud variant ballistic missiles. These are missiles with a range of 650 to 900 kilometers.

We know from intelligence and Iraq's own admissions that Iraq's alleged permitted ballistic missiles, the al-Samud II (ph) and the al-Fatah (ph), violate the 150-kilometer limit established by this council in Resolution 687. These are prohibited systems.

...continued

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Lief Erikson
Jerseydevil, it isn't as though everyone out there detests us for our interferance/assistance. Look at the effect we've had in Afghanistan, and how they celebrated the Taliban's demise. If a person's child were unappreciative of what you were doing for them, generally you don't just stop doing it and leave them to the consequences. I think that we have a responsibility to these people. We are extremely wealthy and prosperous- few people in America are starving, but look at the rest of the world. What do you think would have happened if we hadn't helped in World War 2? Or in stopping Communism? If we did as you suggest, we would begin to deserve to be called arrogant and unfeeling. When we can do so much, even if some, or most, don't appreciate us, protecting them has been shown in history to have benefit on the world.

All I'm saying is that Europe should lift a finger more. All they are is a bunch of armchair quarterbacks.

If we're not there "running the world" like they complain about all the time - maybe they'd figure out that we were actually doing good things instead of always complaining about us.

Our military supports the world - that is part of the reason our defense budget is so high. While they can rely on us - and instead concentrate on their own citizens and country.

[Dúnedain]

...continued

UNMOVIC has also reported that Iraq has illegally important 380 SA-2 (ph) rocket engines. These are likely for use in the al-Samud II (ph). Their import was illegal on three counts. Resolution 687 prohibited all military shipments into Iraq. UNSCOM specifically prohibited use of these engines in surface-to-surface missiles. And finally, as we have just noted, they are for a system that exceeds the 150-kilometer range limit.

Worst of all, some of these engines were acquired as late as December — after this council passed Resolution 1441.

What I want you to know today is that Iraq has programs that are intended to produce ballistic missiles that fly 1,000 kilometers. One program is pursuing a liquid fuel missile that would be able to fly more than 1,200 kilometers. And you can see from this map, as well as I can, who will be in danger of these missiles.

As part of this effort, another little piece of evidence, Iraq has built an engine test stand that is larger than anything it has ever had. Notice the dramatic difference in size between the test stand on the left, the old one, and the new one on the right. Note the large exhaust vent. This is where the flame from the engine comes out. The exhaust on the right test stand is five times longer than the one on the left. The one on the left was used for short-range missile. The one on the right is clearly intended for long-range missiles that can fly 1,200 kilometers.

This photograph was taken in April of 2002. Since then, the test stand has been finished and a roof has been put over it so it will be harder for satellites to see what's going on underneath the test stand.

Saddam Hussein's intentions have never changed. He is not developing the missiles for self-defense. These are missiles that Iraq wants in order to project power, to threaten, and to deliver chemical, biological and, if we let him, nuclear warheads.

Now, unmanned aerial vehicles, UAVs.

Iraq has been working on a variety of UAVs for more than a decade. This is just illustrative of what a UAV would look like. This effort has included attempts to modify for unmanned flight the MiG-21 and with greater success an aircraft called the L-29. However, Iraq is now concentrating not on these airplanes, but on developing and testing smaller UAVs, such as this.

UAVs are well suited for dispensing chemical and biological weapons.

There is ample evidence that Iraq has dedicated much effort to developing and testing spray devices that could be adapted for UAVs. And of the little that Saddam Hussein told us about UAVs, he has not told the truth. One of these lies is graphically and indisputably demonstrated by intelligence we collected on June 27, last year.

According to Iraq's December 7 declaration, its UAVs have a range of only 80 kilometers. But we detected one of Iraq's newest UAVs in a test flight that went 500 kilometers nonstop on autopilot in the race track pattern depicted here.

Not only is this test well in excess of the 150 kilometers that the United Nations permits, the test was left out of Iraq's December 7th declaration. The UAV was flown around and around and around in a circle. And so, that its 80 kilometer limit really was 500 kilometers unrefueled and on autopilot, violative of all of its obligations under 1441.

The linkages over the past 10 years between Iraq's UAV program and biological and chemical warfare agents are of deep concern to us. Iraq could use these small UAVs which have a wingspan of only a few meters to deliver biological agents to its neighbors or if transported, to other countries, including the United States.

Three of those he identified by name were arrested in France last December. In the apartments of the terrorists, authorities found circuits for explosive devices and a list of ingredients to make toxins.

The detainee who helped piece this together says the plot also targeted Britain. Later evidence, again, proved him right. When the British unearthed a cell there just last month, one British police officer was murdered during the disruption of the cell.

We also know that Zarqawi's colleagues have been active in the Pankisi Gorge, Georgia and in Chechnya, Russia. The plotting to which they are linked is not mere chatter. Members of Zarqawi's network say their goal was to kill Russians with toxins.

We are not surprised that Iraq is harboring Zarqawi and his subordinates. This understanding builds on decades long experience with respect to ties between Iraq and al-Qaida.

Going back to the early and mid-1990s, when bin Laden was based in Sudan, an al-Qaida source tells us that Saddam and bin Laden reached an understanding that al-Qaida would no longer support activities against Baghdad. Early al-Qaida ties were forged by secret, high-level intelligence service contacts with al-Qaida, secret Iraqi intelligence high-level contacts with al-Qaida.

...continued

[Laurelyn]

Originally posted by Coney
*loves Ireland*

Yep. Frankly, I can't wait to get out of the US and tie up my last loose ends with immigration folkies and whatever I have to do and find someplace to live in Ireland, probably on the Beara peninsula.
I'm one of those Americans who really doesn't want anything to do with such a big superpower country as America. I don't have the politicial know-how or care-how and I don't like the image the media portrays of America.
I'm torn about the war on Iraq because while I don't want to go to war, Saddam Hussein seems to be quite dangerous. HOWEVER, if we go to war against him, won't he break out the big guns and infect us all with these supposed biological weapons he has? We'd all be screwed. And who was it who said a little ways back that all he'd have to do was give us influenza and knock us all flat-on-our-backs sick for two weeks . . . that's so true. It's flu season where I live and everybody's out sick, nothing's getting done, one of the schools even took a day off because they could get enough substitutes to replace the sick teachers.

[Dúnedain]

...continued

We know members of both organizations met repeatedly and have met at least eight times at very senior levels since the early 1990s. In 1996, a foreign security service tells us, that bin Laden met with a senior Iraqi intelligence official in Khartoum, and later met the director of the Iraqi intelligence service.

Saddam became more interested as he saw al-Qaida's appalling attacks. A detained al-Qaida member tells us that Saddam was more willing to assist al-Qaida after the 1998 bombings of our embassies in Kenya and Tanzania. Saddam was also impressed by al-Qaida's attacks on the USS Cole in Yemen in October 2000.

Iraqis continued to visit bin Laden in his new home in Afghanistan. A senior defector, one of Saddam's former intelligence chiefs in Europe, says Saddam sent his agents to Afghanistan sometime in the mid-1990s to provide training to al-Qaida members on document forgery.

From the late 1990s until 2001, the Iraqi Embassy in Pakistan played the role of liaison to the al-Qaida organization.

Some believe, some claim these contacts do not amount to much. They say Saddam Hussein's secular tyranny and al-Qaida's religious tyranny do not mix. I am not comforted by this thought. Ambition and hatred are enough to bring Iraq and al-Qaida together, enough so al-Qaida could learn how to build more sophisticated bombs and learn how to forge documents, and enough so that al-Qaida could turn to Iraq for help in acquiring expertise on weapons of mass destruction.

And the record of Saddam Hussein's cooperation with other Islamist terrorist organizations is clear. Hamas, for example, opened an office in Baghdad in 1999, and Iraq has hosted conferences attended by Palestine Islamic Jihad. These groups are at the forefront of sponsoring suicide attacks against Israel.

Al-Qaida continues to have a deep interest in acquiring weapons of mass destruction. As with the story of Zarqawi and his network, I can trace the story of a senior terrorist operative telling how Iraq provided training in these weapons to al-Qaida.

Fortunately, this operative is now detained, and he has told his story. I will relate it to you now as he, himself, described it.

This senior al-Qaida terrorist was responsible for one of al-Qaida's training camps in Afghanistan.

His information comes first-hand from his personal involvement at senior levels of al-Qaida. He says bin Laden and his top deputy in Afghanistan, deceased al-Qaida leader Muhammad Atif (ph), did not believe that al-Qaida labs in Afghanistan were capable enough to manufacture these chemical or biological agents. They needed to go somewhere else. They had to look outside of Afghanistan for help. Where did they go? Where did they look? They went to Iraq.

The support that (inaudible) describes included Iraq offering chemical or biological weapons training for two al-Qaida associates beginning in December 2000. He says that a militant known as Abu Abdula Al-Iraqi (ph) had been sent to Iraq several times between 1997 and 2000 for help in acquiring poisons and gases. Abdula Al-Iraqi (ph) characterized the relationship he forged with Iraqi officials as successful.

As I said at the outset, none of this should come as a surprise to any of us. Terrorism has been a tool used by Saddam for decades. Saddam was a supporter of terrorism long before these terrorist networks had a name. And this support continues. The nexus of poisons and terror is new. The nexus of Iraq and terror is old. The combination is lethal.

With this track record, Iraqi denials of supporting terrorism take the place alongside the other Iraqi denials of weapons of mass destruction. It is all a web of lies.

When we confront a regime that harbors ambitions for regional domination, hides weapons of mass destruction and provides haven and active support for terrorists, we are not confronting the past, we are confronting the present. And unless we act, we are confronting an even more frightening future.

My friends, this has been a long and a detailed presentation. And I thank you for your patience. But there is one more subject that I would like to touch on briefly. And it should be a subject of deep and continuing concern to this council, Saddam Hussein's violations of human rights.

Underlying all that I have said, underlying all the facts and the patterns of behavior that I have identified as Saddam Hussein's contempt for the will of this council, his contempt for the truth and most damning of all, his utter contempt for human life. Saddam Hussein's use of mustard and nerve gas against the Kurds in 1988 was one of the 20th century's most horrible atrocities; 5,000 men, women and children died.

...continued

[Dúnedain]

....continued

His campaign against the Kurds from 1987 to '89 included mass summary executions, disappearances, arbitrary jailing, ethnic cleansing and the destruction of some 2,000 villages. He has also conducted ethnic cleansing against the Shi'a Iraqis and the Marsh Arabs whose culture has flourished for more than a millennium. Saddam Hussein's police state ruthlessly eliminates anyone who dares to dissent. Iraq has more forced disappearance cases than any other country, tens of thousands of people reported missing in the past decade.

Nothing points more clearly to Saddam Hussein's dangerous intentions and the threat he poses to all of us than his calculated cruelty to his own citizens and to his neighbors. Clearly, Saddam Hussein and his regime will stop at nothing until something stops him.

For more than 20 years, by word and by deed Saddam Hussein has pursued his ambition to dominate Iraq and the broader Middle East using the only means he knows, intimidation, coercion and annihilation of all those who might stand in his way. For Saddam Hussein, possession of the world's most deadly weapons is the ultimate trump card, the one he must hold to fulfill his ambition.

We know that Saddam Hussein is determined to keep his weapons of mass destruction; he's determined to make more. Given Saddam Hussein's history of aggression, given what we know of his grandiose plans, given what we know of his terrorist associations and given his determination to exact revenge on those who oppose him, should we take the risk that he will not some day use these weapons at a time and the place and in the manner of his choosing at a time when the world is in a much weaker position to respond?

The United States will not and cannot run that risk to the American people. Leaving Saddam Hussein in possession of weapons of mass destruction for a few more months or years is not an option, not in a post-September 11th world.

My colleagues, over three months ago this council recognized that Iraq continued to pose a threat to international peace and security, and that Iraq had been and remained in material breach of its disarmament obligations. Today Iraq still poses a threat and Iraq still remains in material breach.

Indeed, by its failure to seize on its one last opportunity to come clean and disarm, Iraq has put itself in deeper material breach and closer to the day when it will face serious consequences for its continued defiance of this council.

My colleagues, we have an obligation to our citizens, we have an obligation to this body to see that our resolutions are complied with. We wrote 1441 not in order to go to war, we wrote 1441 to try to preserve the peace. We wrote 1441 to give Iraq one last chance. Iraq is not so far taking that one last chance.

We must not shrink from whatever is ahead of us. We must not fail in our duty and our responsibility to the citizens of the countries that are represented by this body.

Thank you, Mr. President.

Man that was freaking long!!

[Coney]

DUNEDAIN...CAN'T YOU JUST GIVE US A LINK?

[Dúnedain]

Originally posted by Laurelyn
Frankly, I can't wait to get out of the US and tie up my last loose ends with immigration folkies and whatever I have to do and find someplace to live in Ireland, probably on the Beara peninsula.
I'm one of those Americans who really doesn't want anything to do with such a big superpower country as America. I don't have the politicial know-how or care-how and I don't like the image the media portrays of America.

No offense man, but if you don't like all that America can and does provide for you, then get the *expletive* out....

[Dúnedain]

Originally posted by Coney
DUNEDAIN...CAN'T YOU JUST GIVE US A LINK?

I wanted to make sure you would read it

BTW, here is the link:

http://www.cbsnews.com//stories/2003...in539459.shtml

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Laurelyn

I'm one of those Americans who really doesn't want anything to do with such a big superpower country as America. I don't have the politicial know-how or care-how and I don't like the image the media portrays of America.

What image is that?

I'm torn about the war on Iraq because while I don't want to go to war, Saddam Hussein seems to be quite dangerous. HOWEVER, if we go to war against him, won't he break out the big guns and infect us all with these supposed biological weapons he has? We'd all be screwed. And who was it who said a little ways back that all he'd have to do was give us influenza and knock us all flat-on-our-backs sick for two weeks . . . that's so true. It's flu season where I live and everybody's out sick, nothing's getting done, one of the schools even took a day off because they could get enough substitutes to replace the sick teachers.

So you'd rather wait until Iraq becomes like North Korea? Right now he can't strike America very easily - unless he slips a few terrorists some biological weapons. We can either take out a small threat at the moment or - let it build up into a cancer and then try taking care of.

[Coney]

I wanted to make sure you would read it

I don't need to re-read it *pats cd box* I've got the recording here

This is the age of audio recordings y'know

Still...I suppose your posts may enlighten some 'mooters to the truth

[Dúnedain]

Originally posted by Coney
I don't need to re-read it *pats cd box* I've got the recording here

This is the age of audio recordings y'know

Still...I suppose your posts may enlighten some 'mooters to the truth

Where did you get the audio? Can you point me in the direction please

[Dúnedain]

JD clean out your PM's so I can write you back f00l!

[Coney]

NP.........downloaded it off Kazza........I think I used search "political speech" or something like that.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Dúnedain
No offense man, but if you don't like all that America can and does provide for you, then get the *expletive* out....

I feel the same way - the door swings both ways. And unlike the way it was in East Germany - you don't get shot for crossing the border.

I just thought about one of the many complaints I've heard Europeans say to indicate they're more wordly than Americans. It's the number of people who have passports. Few Americans have passports. But that makes sense. We can go to Canada, through the US and to Mexico WITHOUT a passport. In order to go from England to France you need a passport. You still need a passport to cross into many of the European countries. America is bigger than Europe and we don't need a passport - all I need is my drivers license to go to Canada or Mexico (even when I flew). I know not many Europeans actually leave Europe - just like not many Americans leave America. However, many Americans travel and visit other states - which is similar to a European going from one European country to another.

We also get the similar ridiculous complaint that Americans speak only one language - see above for explanation to that.

[Coney]

Well ladies and gentlemen......thanks for another night of drunken entertainment (don't say I didn't warn you JD ).......time for this lil' rabbit to hop off

[Sister Golden Hair]

Originally posted by Coney
Well ladies and gentlemen......thanks for another night of drunken entertainment (don't say I didn't warn you JD ).......time for this lil' rabbit to hop off

Are you ever ashamed the next day when you read your posts Coney? Heehee!

[Coney]

Originally posted by Sister Golden Hair
Are you ever ashamed the next day when you read your posts Coney? Heehee!

Nah......all part of my mission to get JD up to 80 words per min.

[jerseydevil]

Originally posted by Sister Golden Hair
Are you ever ashamed the next day when you read your posts Coney? Heehee!

no - he's usually still drunk into Sunday. So it's not till SUNDAY that he's ashamed. Then he sends a message "did I really say that???"

[Coney]

Originally posted by jerseydevil
no - he's usually still drunk into Sunday. So it's not till SUNDAY that he's ashamed. Then he sends a message "did I really say that???"

I have never sent a message saying that ........I may have deleted the post where I called you a Nazi.......but me apologise?


Well yes......I have apologised to a few 'mooters

*has an attack of conscience*