| Submit your comments on this article |
| Axis of Evil |
| US Navy says UAE firm smuggling chemicals to Iraq |
| 2002-12-17 |
| The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet on Tuesday accused a Dubai-based ferry operator of breaking United Nations sanctions by smuggling banned chemicals into Iraq that it said could be used to make high-grade explosives. It said the industrial-grade alcohol and polymers, which have dual uses including for industrial cleaning agents and cosmetics, could also be used to manufacture chemical weapons agents. Fifth Fleet public affairs officer Lieutenant Garret Kaspar said Naif Marine Services had been caught shipping the chemicals aboard ferries it operates into Umm Qasr, close to the Kuwaiti border in recent months. "In the wrong hands, quantity aside, they can be used to make a bomb," Kaspar said, speaking from fleet headquarters in Bahrain. He said the company was on an "unofficial list" of some 10 firms that had violated U.N. sanctions and that were being watched closely. "Without getting into intelligence gathering, this company is one of the agencies that has been shipping banned chemical substances into Iraq -- they are blatantly being shipped," he told Reuters from Bahrain. He said the ferries, which operate a regular service between Dubai and Iraq, had been routinely boarded and searched and found to be carrying banned chemicals in 50-gallon drums which did not have official U.N. approval or documentation. Under U.N. rules a manifest specifying goods to be transported must also carry a letter of approval. "These goods were transported to Iraq without official documentation. They are prohibited under U.N. sanctions," he said. He said the navy had photographic evidence and other intelligence about the shipments which he said were conclusive. Need to get some of those forgers who are making phoney identification papers to whip up some official U.N. documents. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #1 I found that part strange, too. Iraq being a secular moslem counrty does not ban alcohol. One of the first places the U.N. inspectors went to was a distillery. If you can make drinking alk, why do you import industrial alk? FYI, heard that Iraq makes good booze. Services Division can buy locally when they get around to setting up the NCO clubs. |
| Posted by: Steve 2002-12-18 07:39:40 |