David Kay says Iraqi WMDs are in Syria
Not surprisingly, the earlier media reports all just had him mentioning that WMDs werenât in Iraq without acknowledging the reason as to why.
David Kay, the former head of the coalitionâs hunt for Iraqâs weapons of mass destruction, yesterday claimed that part of Saddam Husseinâs secret weapons programme was hidden in Syria. In an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Dr Kay, who last week resigned as head of the Iraq Survey Group, said that he had uncovered evidence that unspecified materials had been moved to Syria shortly before last yearâs war to overthrow Saddam. "We are not talking about a large stockpile of weapons," he said. "But we know from some of the interrogations of former Iraqi officials that a lot of material went to Syria before the war, including some components of Saddamâs WMD programme. Precisely what went to Syria, and what has happened to it, is a major issue that needs to be resolved."
Dr Kayâs comments will intensify pressure on President Bashar Assad to clarify the extent of his co-operation with Saddamâs regime and details of Syriaâs WMD programme. Mr Assad has said that Syria was entitled to defend itself by acquiring its own biological and chemical weapons arsenal. Syria was one of Iraqâs main allies in the run-up to the war and hundreds of Iraqi officials - including members of Saddamâs family - were given refuge in Damascus after the collapse of the Iraqi dictatorâs regime. Many of the foreign fighters responsible for conducting terrorist attacks against the coalition are believed to have entered Iraq through Syria. A Syrian official last night said: "These allegations have been raised many times in the past by Israeli officials, which proves that they are false."
I guess that settles it, then... |
Posted by: Dan Darling 2004-01-24 |