Excite News: "Iraq Arms Hunt May Hinder Other U.S. Aims | Dec 30, 11:20 PM (ET) | By DAFNA LINZER
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - In nine months, not a single item has been found in Iraq from a long and classified intelligence list of weapons of mass destruction which guided the work of dozens of elite teams from Special Forces, the military, the CIA and the Pentagon during the most secretive, expensive and fruitless weapons hunt in history.
For U.S. allies, arms control experts and some involved in the hunt, the lack of evidence in a war premised on the threat of proliferation will have far reaching consequences in the coming year for the United States in its efforts to curb Iran, North Korea, Syria and others.
While some argue the Iraq war helped push open the doors of closed regimes such as Libya and Iran, others say it has only strengthened convictions that negotiations, U.N. inspections and sanctions work.
A look at new details of Iraq's clandestine efforts and its behavior during the 13 years when it was supposed to disarm could serve as a lesson for future moves against any potential proliferator.
...
To date, Congress has approved $700 million for the weapons hunt, according to Congressional staff, a figure higher than previously reported. The U.N. effort during the 1990s cost an estimated $60 million a year, which was paid by several countries and the United Nations.
The Bush administration began planning its own hunt six months before it went to war, military officers said.
Working in secret, the Pentagon set up the first U.S. teams designed to search for, identify and destroy chemical, biological and nuclear weapons. The mission, which military planners expected to be brief, was a failure and in June the Pentagon announced a larger operation with investigative capabilities to be led by Kay and Gen. Keith Dayton. ...
Wednesday, December 31, 2003
Wednesday, December 24, 2003
[Some] Pundits See Libya's Pledge as a Result of U.S. Policy ... Others find the new demonstration of American influence worrisome
Proof of American Power (washingtonpost.com): "[Some] Pundits See Libya's Pledge as a Result of U.S. Policy | By Jefferson Morley | Monday, December 22, 2003; 4:05 PM
...
Gaddafi's decision is winning the White House a rare measure of editorial approval among European news outlets not always supportive of the Bush administration. In this view, the Libyan decision, coupled with Iran's recent announcement that it will allow international inspections of its nuclear facilities, is a sign that Bush's policy is having a positive effect. Others find the new demonstration of American influence worrisome.
...
... Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a leading German daily that was critical of the U.S. war in Iraq. Libya's move "shows that opponents of the Iraq war were premature in saying that America's war on terror would prompt so-called rogue states to start developing weapons of mass destruction."
In France, Le Monde credits the claims of Bush supporters that U.S. policy is making traditional adversaries like Iran and Libya more cooperative. ... "One can greet the end of the 'rejectionist front' [of Arab states opposed to the U.S. and Israel] and still say, more than ever, that the Saddam Hussein danger did not justify a unilateral war without U.N. support."
Asahi Shimbun, a leading daily in Japan agrees, saying the "dramatic shift in the Libyan position … is not sufficient grounds to lend legitimacy to the Iraq war."
The Amsterdam daily De Volkskrant (in Dutch) credited America and Britain's "carrot and stick" approach for the breakthrough in Libya and Tehran. The paper said that both cases demonstrate that European and American policies might well supplement each other.
But in London, The Guardian conceded nothing, saying arguments that the Iraq war prodded Libya to act was "sad, shabby stuff." ... The Libyan pledge to disarm "was not achieved by military power, by invasion, by shredding inter national law, by enforced regime change or by large-scale bloodshed." ... "Washington's bellicosity formed a worrying backdrop, not a spur," to negotiations, says The Guardian.
[London's] Daily Telegraph. "It is no coincidence that, after years of pursuing his scheme in secret, President Gaddafi should have come clean days after seeing the fate of his fellow dictator," Saddam Hussein.
Austria's Der Standard, translated by Deutsche Welle, the German radio network, worries that Gaddafi is merely reinventing himself-as a pro-American dictator. ... "Only undemocratic regimes that cooperate with the U.S., like Libya's neighbor Tunisia, can continue to violate human rights and democracy," the Vienna daily notes.
That concern is shared by the Daily Star, an independent daily in Beirut. ... "Even if Tripoli curries favor abroad by ending its pursuit of WMDs, it is at home that its policies continue to do the most consistent damage. A strong dose of reality is very much in order."
... The News, the English-language sister newspaper of Jang, the Pakistan's most popular daily, ... "Baghdad has become symbolical of the pyramid of skulls that were raised by conquerors in the past to terrify nations into submission. Few nations will be willing to defy Washington's edicts and will obsequiously fulfill even the most demeaning tasks."
The Nation, a center-right daily in Islamabad, warns against "complacency." ... "No amount of cooperation in the so-called War on Terror will prevent the USA, egged on by the Israeli and Indian lobbies in Washington, from its goal of forcing Pakistan to roll back its nuclear programme. The Libyan and Iranian examples should leave no one fooled. If anyone thinks that surrendering national sovereignty in the attempt to curry favour with the USA will even postpone the day of decision, they are mistaken. Indeed, it hastens it. Pakistan therefore must follow its own national interest, and refuse to accept any pressure. In that lies the only chance of safety."
...
Gaddafi's decision is winning the White House a rare measure of editorial approval among European news outlets not always supportive of the Bush administration. In this view, the Libyan decision, coupled with Iran's recent announcement that it will allow international inspections of its nuclear facilities, is a sign that Bush's policy is having a positive effect. Others find the new demonstration of American influence worrisome.
...
... Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, a leading German daily that was critical of the U.S. war in Iraq. Libya's move "shows that opponents of the Iraq war were premature in saying that America's war on terror would prompt so-called rogue states to start developing weapons of mass destruction."
In France, Le Monde credits the claims of Bush supporters that U.S. policy is making traditional adversaries like Iran and Libya more cooperative. ... "One can greet the end of the 'rejectionist front' [of Arab states opposed to the U.S. and Israel] and still say, more than ever, that the Saddam Hussein danger did not justify a unilateral war without U.N. support."
Asahi Shimbun, a leading daily in Japan agrees, saying the "dramatic shift in the Libyan position … is not sufficient grounds to lend legitimacy to the Iraq war."
The Amsterdam daily De Volkskrant (in Dutch) credited America and Britain's "carrot and stick" approach for the breakthrough in Libya and Tehran. The paper said that both cases demonstrate that European and American policies might well supplement each other.
But in London, The Guardian conceded nothing, saying arguments that the Iraq war prodded Libya to act was "sad, shabby stuff." ... The Libyan pledge to disarm "was not achieved by military power, by invasion, by shredding inter national law, by enforced regime change or by large-scale bloodshed." ... "Washington's bellicosity formed a worrying backdrop, not a spur," to negotiations, says The Guardian.
[London's] Daily Telegraph. "It is no coincidence that, after years of pursuing his scheme in secret, President Gaddafi should have come clean days after seeing the fate of his fellow dictator," Saddam Hussein.
Austria's Der Standard, translated by Deutsche Welle, the German radio network, worries that Gaddafi is merely reinventing himself-as a pro-American dictator. ... "Only undemocratic regimes that cooperate with the U.S., like Libya's neighbor Tunisia, can continue to violate human rights and democracy," the Vienna daily notes.
That concern is shared by the Daily Star, an independent daily in Beirut. ... "Even if Tripoli curries favor abroad by ending its pursuit of WMDs, it is at home that its policies continue to do the most consistent damage. A strong dose of reality is very much in order."
... The News, the English-language sister newspaper of Jang, the Pakistan's most popular daily, ... "Baghdad has become symbolical of the pyramid of skulls that were raised by conquerors in the past to terrify nations into submission. Few nations will be willing to defy Washington's edicts and will obsequiously fulfill even the most demeaning tasks."
The Nation, a center-right daily in Islamabad, warns against "complacency." ... "No amount of cooperation in the so-called War on Terror will prevent the USA, egged on by the Israeli and Indian lobbies in Washington, from its goal of forcing Pakistan to roll back its nuclear programme. The Libyan and Iranian examples should leave no one fooled. If anyone thinks that surrendering national sovereignty in the attempt to curry favour with the USA will even postpone the day of decision, they are mistaken. Indeed, it hastens it. Pakistan therefore must follow its own national interest, and refuse to accept any pressure. In that lies the only chance of safety."
Assad, Mubarak call on Israel to give up nuclear weapons
Haaretz Article: "24/12/2003 16:21 |
Assad, Mubarak call on Israel to give up nuclear weapons | By The Associated Press
SHARM EL-SHEIK - Syria's and Egypt's presidents called Wednesday for Israel to forsake nuclear weapons, saying the Middle East should be a zone free of weapons of mass destruction.
They issued a statement after a brief summit here that followed Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi's call for other nations to abandon weapons of mass destruction, saying it would increase pressure on Israel to do likewise.
...
Israel has never denied nor confirmed having nuclear bombs.
In a statement at the end of the summit, Assad and Mubarak stressed "current developments in the Middle East demonstrate the need to declare the Middle East a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction - including all states and Israel." ...
Assad, Mubarak call on Israel to give up nuclear weapons | By The Associated Press
SHARM EL-SHEIK - Syria's and Egypt's presidents called Wednesday for Israel to forsake nuclear weapons, saying the Middle East should be a zone free of weapons of mass destruction.
They issued a statement after a brief summit here that followed Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi's call for other nations to abandon weapons of mass destruction, saying it would increase pressure on Israel to do likewise.
...
Israel has never denied nor confirmed having nuclear bombs.
In a statement at the end of the summit, Assad and Mubarak stressed "current developments in the Middle East demonstrate the need to declare the Middle East a zone free of all weapons of mass destruction - including all states and Israel." ...
Saturday, December 13, 2003
Military Urged To Try or Free 660 Detainees : McCain: "They are human beings. There is such a thing as human rights,"
Military Urged To Try or Free 660 Detainees (washingtonpost.com): "Senators Visit Cuba Center | By R. Jeffrey Smith | Saturday, December 13, 2003; Page A08
Three senators who just returned from visiting the U.S. military's detention center in Cuba urged the Bush administration yesterday to accelerate the trial or release of more than 660 detainees there, including at least 200 men who have been held for more than two years.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who visited the Guantanamo Bay prison Wednesday with Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), said that after such lengthy detentions, the suspects -- all of whom have been held without charge -- had an inherent right to be told of their legal status.
McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said a senior administration official told him before the trip that the military has been unable to develop cases against more than a third of the detainees and that they will have to be released.
"They are human beings. There is such a thing as human rights," McCain said.
Three senators who just returned from visiting the U.S. military's detention center in Cuba urged the Bush administration yesterday to accelerate the trial or release of more than 660 detainees there, including at least 200 men who have been held for more than two years.
Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who visited the Guantanamo Bay prison Wednesday with Sens. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.) and Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), said that after such lengthy detentions, the suspects -- all of whom have been held without charge -- had an inherent right to be told of their legal status.
McCain, a prisoner of war in Vietnam, said a senior administration official told him before the trip that the military has been unable to develop cases against more than a third of the detainees and that they will have to be released.
"They are human beings. There is such a thing as human rights," McCain said.
Thursday, December 11, 2003
ElBaradei of UN IAEA calls on Israel to give up nukes
Haaretz Article: "ElBaradei calls on Israel to give up nukes | By Yossi Melman, Haaretz Correspondent | December 12, 2003
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, has called on Israel to relinquish its nuclear weapons as part of a general peace agreement in the Middle East.
In an interview with Haaretz, ElBaradei said Israel should follow the path taken by South Africa, the first and only country to part from its nuclear cache, when its weapons were destroyed under IAEA supervision in 1989. [The full Haaretz interview will be published Friday morning.]
In his first interview with the Israeli media, ElBaradei said he recommends that Israel join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
He said that in spite of Israel's policy of not acknowledging possession of nuclear weapons, "we operate under the assumption that Israel has nuclear arms. Israel has never denied this," he said from his office at Vienna headquarters of the UN organization.
...
The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, has called on Israel to relinquish its nuclear weapons as part of a general peace agreement in the Middle East.
In an interview with Haaretz, ElBaradei said Israel should follow the path taken by South Africa, the first and only country to part from its nuclear cache, when its weapons were destroyed under IAEA supervision in 1989. [The full Haaretz interview will be published Friday morning.]
In his first interview with the Israeli media, ElBaradei said he recommends that Israel join the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
He said that in spite of Israel's policy of not acknowledging possession of nuclear weapons, "we operate under the assumption that Israel has nuclear arms. Israel has never denied this," he said from his office at Vienna headquarters of the UN organization.
...
Wednesday, December 10, 2003
Twin US blunders leave 15 children dead
Guardian Unlimited | Special reports | US blunders leave 15 children dead: "Six children die in fresh US blunder | Wednesday December 10, 2003
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The US military announced today that six children and two adults were killed during a US attack on a weapons compound in south-eastern Afghanistan, the second bungled operation in the country to leave child victims in as many days.
The six children died on Friday during a night assault on a complex in Paktia province, where a renegade Afghan commander, Mullah Jalani, kept a huge cache of weapons, said Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Hilferty.
"The next day we discovered the bodies of two adults and six children. We had no indication there were non-combatants in the compound," he said.
The tragedy came the day before another serious US military blunder in neighbouring Ghazni province, when nine Afghan children were found dead in a field after an attack by an A-10 ground attack aircraft that was targeting a Taliban suspect.
US officials have apologised for that incident.
...
The US military announced today that six children and two adults were killed during a US attack on a weapons compound in south-eastern Afghanistan, the second bungled operation in the country to leave child victims in as many days.
The six children died on Friday during a night assault on a complex in Paktia province, where a renegade Afghan commander, Mullah Jalani, kept a huge cache of weapons, said Lieutenant Colonel Bryan Hilferty.
"The next day we discovered the bodies of two adults and six children. We had no indication there were non-combatants in the compound," he said.
The tragedy came the day before another serious US military blunder in neighbouring Ghazni province, when nine Afghan children were found dead in a field after an attack by an A-10 ground attack aircraft that was targeting a Taliban suspect.
US officials have apologised for that incident.
Germany, France to Fight U.S. on Iraq Contracts Policy (washingtonpost.com)
Germany, France to Fight U.S. on Iraq Contracts Policy (washingtonpost.com): "German Official Calls Exclusion From Contract Competition 'Unacceptable' | Reuters | Wednesday, December 10, 2003; 8:07 AM
BERLIN --- The German government said on Wednesday it would be unacceptable for the United States to bar firms from countries which opposed the war in Iraq from competing for prime contracts to rebuild the country.
In a policy document released on Tuesday, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said he was limiting competition for 26 reconstruction contracts worth up to $18.6 billion that will be advertised in coming days.
...
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's chief spokesman Bela Anda said that if the reports of such an exclusion were true:
"That would not be acceptable for the German government. And it wouldn't be in line with the spirit of looking to the future together and not into the past." He declined at a news conference to comment on what action the government would take.
Germany has sought in recent months to patch up relations with Washington that were badly hurt by its criticism of the Iraq war, offering to help train Iraqi police and support reconstruction and humanitarian aid projects in the country.
France, which together with Germany was the most vocal opponent of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, said earlier it was studying with its European partners whether the decision was in line with international competition law.
BERLIN --- The German government said on Wednesday it would be unacceptable for the United States to bar firms from countries which opposed the war in Iraq from competing for prime contracts to rebuild the country.
In a policy document released on Tuesday, U.S. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz said he was limiting competition for 26 reconstruction contracts worth up to $18.6 billion that will be advertised in coming days.
...
Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's chief spokesman Bela Anda said that if the reports of such an exclusion were true:
"That would not be acceptable for the German government. And it wouldn't be in line with the spirit of looking to the future together and not into the past." He declined at a news conference to comment on what action the government would take.
Germany has sought in recent months to patch up relations with Washington that were badly hurt by its criticism of the Iraq war, offering to help train Iraqi police and support reconstruction and humanitarian aid projects in the country.
France, which together with Germany was the most vocal opponent of the U.S.-led war in Iraq, said earlier it was studying with its European partners whether the decision was in line with international competition law.