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Documents reveal Iraq’s arms quest
EFL and News
Goes with this article, also posted today...
New evidence has emerged which shows that deposed Iraqi president Saddam Hussein had links with several international companies to produce weapons of mass destruction. American investigators have unearthed Iraqi records of Saddam’s agents worldwide, a treasure trove of intelligence that US officials expect will help to identify foreigners paid to serve the former dictator’s interests, the Asian Wall Street Journal (AWSJ) reported yesterday. US officials said archives of Iraq’s domestic security and foreign intelligence services, the broad reach of which had not been disclosed previously, could give a revealing look into Saddam’s efforts in the past decade to conduct intelligence activities and influence other countries’ political stance towards Iraq.

Other Iraqi government documents reveal for the first time Baghdad’s efforts to buy from North Korea missiles with longer ranges than are allowed by United Nations sanctions. Previously, the Bush administration had disclosed that Iraq was seeking missile technology from North Korea, not actual missile purchases. From records and interrogations, the United States has also learnt that two teams of Yugoslav missile experts went to Iraq in 2001 to develop plans for extending the 290km range of Iraq’s Scud missiles by strapping several rocket motors together, the senior US official said. The revelation, if true, is significant because UN sanctions bar Iraq from possessing missiles with ranges above 150km.

Information contained in the files could prove troublesome for individuals, companies and countries that may be implicated in aiding Saddam’s regime, the AWSJ report said. The Iraqi documents are among 25 tonnes of papers seized at the abandoned headquarters of the country’s intelligence services days after Baghdad fell in April, according to US officials. The records include a ’complete listing of the amount of money paid for political influence’ to foreigners, including politicians and businessmen, the report said.
Posted by: Frank G 2003-11-04
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=20799