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Threefer on the Beeb: WMD, Links to al-Qaeda, French Treachery
eflONE: The United States is testing materials found in Iraq that may have been used in the manufacture of chemical weapons, the Pentagon has said. Officials say it will be several days before they have results. They would not say when or where the materials were found, but a US television station reported that 14 unmarked drums had been found near Bayji, about 210 kilometres (130 miles) northwest of Baghdad, on Friday.... Initial tests showed the presence of a nerve agent and a blistering agent, but the Pentagon remained cautious about the find. The materials are being sent to the US for more comprehensive testing. The tests performed in Iraq can give false positives because similar chemicals are used in pesticides.... TWO: In a separate discovery, the UK newspaper the Sunday Telegraph said it had found documents linking Saddam Hussein with Osama Bin Laden. The newspaper said an envoy from Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network travelled to Baghdad at the Iraqi leader's invitation in 1998 "to establish a relationship based on their mutual hatred of America and Saudi Arabia". THREE: The Sunday Times, meanwhile, said that France had regularly briefed Iraqi officials on its dealings with the US as recently as late 2001. The paper said the information was contained in files found in the wreckage of the Iraqi foreign ministry. The briefings, which came partly from "friends of Iraq" at the French foreign ministry, kept Saddam Hussein abreast of America's war plans, according to the paper. No real surprises here for Rantburgers, but gawd, the BBC must hate running stories like this. Posted by: Mark IV 2003-04-27 |
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