William Fielder
Saddam Links To WMD and Terrorists?
Tue Aug 5 15:20:18 2003
64.140.158.11

Saddam Links To WMD and Terrorists?
By William Fielder
August 4, 2003
http://www.aim.org/publications/guest_columns/fielder/2003/aug4.html

Saddam Hussein had a nuclear weapons program. We know because it was found in an Iraqi nuclear scientist’s backyard in late June, according to the Washington Post. The find, buried about 12 years ago by Mahdi Shukur Ubaydi, consisted of centrifuges and other equipment as well as a sizable cache of documents. Ubaydi headed Iraq¹s nuclear program in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Dr Khidir Hamza, Saddam¹s former chief nuclear engineer, has testified before congress regarding the progress of Iraq¹s nuclear program. So, it is now clear that Saddam was simply waiting until the coast was clear to relaunch another effort to develop nuclear weapons. Fortunately, he didn’t get that opportunity. Because of our president’s prompt and fortuitous action, and the sacrifice of our brave service members, Saddam’s plans were thwarted. The buried document cache and mountains of papers taken from Iraqi intelligence and security files are being evaluated and acted upon by David Kay, a former UN weapons inspector who is familiar with Saddam¹s attempts to evade and obfuscate.

Correspondingly, it was reported in the Nashville Tennessean of June 25th that Judge Gilbert Merritt, who was in Iraq to help set up a free judiciary, had seen a document reportedly written by Uday, Saddam’s son. It discussed setting up liaison with elements of the Osama bin Laden (OBL) organization in Pakistan. Dr. Amatzin Baran, Mideast expert, says that Saddam has been Islamicizing himself for the last 10 years, embracing Jihad and extremist causes-even giving cash awards to suicide bombers. So why do some liberals still say Iraq was a secular state that would avoid the terrorists? The London Telegraph also reported an eyewitness account of OBL’s representative visiting Baghdad a few years ago. According to the State Department publication “Global Terrorism,” Iraq has provided bases to several terrorist groups, including the Mujahedin-e-Khaiq (MEK), the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Palestine Liberation Front (PLF), and the Abu Nidal organization (ANO). The terrorist Abu Abbas was captured in Iraq near Sammarah. The international students from the terror schools at Sammarrah and Salman Pak provided brief but vigorous opposition to our forces. Saddam also allowed the Ansar al Islam terrorists to conduct bioweapons research, and possibly produce the bioweapon ricin, in northern Iraq. Enough ricin to kill thousands was found in one terrorist-occupied London apartment.

One of the training aids at Salman Pak is a commercial aircraft fuselage. It could be used to train anti-hijacking teams, but most like was used for the opposite purpose-to train hijackers. Former CIA director James Woolsey supports this view. Woolsey testified that... “there was training of terrorists, Islamist terrorists, from countries other than Iraq, religious fundamentalists, in how to hijack aircraft.” Woolsey continues, “When I look at that pattern, what it strongly suggests... is...a common purpose here of the Iraqi government training terrorists and those who conducted the September 11th attack.” President Clinton failed to meet with Woolsey in 1993 and 1994, and probably disregarded all of his intelligence reports during the same period (including one that would have told him North Korea had already developed rudimentary nuclear weapons). In addition to the above, there is evidence of Iraqi involvement in the 1995 Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing. When the Terry Nichols civil trial begins, we should learn much more about Iraqi agents in the U.S., and the Clinton administration’s destruction of incriminating FBI interviews, so that Clinton would not be forced to deal with Saddam. Lastly, the JCS chairman, General Myers said during a visit to Iraq on July 30th, that Iraq operations are providing significant information on al Qaeda, rather than draining resources from the task. We have just scratched the surface with regards to Saddam¹s secret weapons and terror support.

Fielder is a retired army officer with 40-years experience in U.S. intelligence. He can be reached at hoostwo@earthlink.net .
=====================================
THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT PROGRAM:
National Press Club Panel on Reporting the Story of WMD
http://www.cspan.org/

Whistleblower on Niger uranium claim accuses White House of launching 'dirty-tricks campaign'
By Kim Sengupta

04 August 2003
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=430315

The former American diplomat who exposed false claims that Iraq was trying to purchase uranium from Niger has accused members of the Bush administration of a dirty tricks campaign against him.

The revelation of Joseph Wilson's investigation in the African state forced President George Bush to retract claims about Iraq's attempts to buy uranium made in his State of the Union speech two months before the war began.

The Administration is alleged to have leaked the name of Mr Wilson's wife, an undercover CIA operative in the field of weapons of mass destruction, with the aim of discrediting him. It is said that Mr Wilson was selected to go on the trip to Niger last year only after his wife, Valerie Plame, suggested him.

US intelligence officials and the Democrats are furious about the move, arguing that it jeopardises Ms Plame's work and undermines her husband. They have called for an inquiry.

Her identity was revealed by Bob Novak, a syndicated columnist, who said that he was given the information by "two senior administration officials". They told him that Ms Plame had suggested to her CIA colleagues that her husband should be sent on the mission.

His report was followed by allegations on neo-conservative websites that Mr Wilson was an opponent of the Iraq war, and had an interest in refuting the threat from Saddam Hussein's WMD.

Mr Wilson said yesterday that the naming of his wife had parallels with the disclosure of the identity of the British scientist David Kelly, the source of BBC allegations that the British government "sexed up" an dossier on Iraqi weapons.

"The Administration in Washington came in saying they were going to restore honour and dignity to the presidency," Mr Wilson said. "They have shown no sign of it so far.

"This is highly damaging to my wife's career, and could be seen as a smear against me."

But it was also about discouraging "others who may have information embarrassing to the administration from coming forward," he said.

"It is absolutely untrue that my wife was responsible for my trip to Niger. I met a number of senior members of staff to discuss the visit."

Democrats have criticised the White House over disclosing Ms Plame's identity, and Senator Charles Schumer of New York has urged the FBI to investigate.

Former US intelligence officials have also attacked the Administration for the leak, saying it put Ms Plame at risk.

Frank Anderson, the former CIA station chief for the Near East Division, said: "When it gets to the point of an administration official acting to do career damage, and possibly endanger someone's life, that's mean, that's petty, it's irresponsible, and it ought not to be sanctioned."

Mr Wilson, a former US ambassador to Gabon, revealed his Niger mission, undertaken last year, in a recent article in The New York Times. He reported to the State Department and the CIA that tales of Iraqi purchases of Niger uranium were without credence but it was still used by Mr Bush in his speech, though attributed to Britain.

Mr Bush said: "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

Jack Straw, the Foreign Secretary, has acknowledged that the CIA told Britain that there was no evidence of Iraq attempting to acquire uranium from Niger. The Government insists, however, that it has "separate intelligence" about Iraq's attempts to acquire African uranium. Ministers have refused to state what that is.

SEARCH: WMD JOSEPH WILSON - 92 HITS
http://news.google.com/news?hl=en&edition=us&q=WMD+JOSEPH+WILSON&btnG=Search+News
------------------------------------------------

National Press Club: About the Club - Program & Events: NPC Past Press Conferences
The National Press Club is the largest and most prestigious press club in the world with membership that includes national and international reporters, publishers, editors, photographers, cartoonists, producers, and broadcasters.
... 8:30 AM Hidden wmd (News Conference) Description: Scandal Brewing ...
... Regarding Hidden wmd Contact: Susan Reymond #561-659-1426 Sponsored ...
http://www.press.org/programs/otherpressconfprev.cfm 

• Treasury Dept. to Refuse Senate a List of Saudi Suspects — TIMOTHY L. O'BRIEN, Wed Aug 6 03:07
• Top 40 Lies About War And Terrorism — Steve Perry, Tue Aug 5 16:55
• 13) The Bush Administration Has Made Americans Safer — Cont'd..., Tue Aug 5 16:59