'I ordered destruction of all chemical weapons. All weapons - biological,
chemical, missile, nuclear - were destroyed.' -- General Kamel

As we exposed sometime ago (and now picked up by the mainstream press), the
government claim that Saddam Hussein was importing uranium from Niger, was
based upon crudely forged documents. The CIA has also said the documents
were forgeries, and the Director of Central Intelligence has been forced
into a humiliating public apology over their use to justify war. Tony Blair
has now taken a fall back position. He was relying upon other intelligence
sources, sources unknown it seems to the CIA or anyone else. But this
creates further problems. If the Brits were aware of this importation of
uranium, why were the IAEA not notified, as Britain is required to do under
International Law, failure to do so was a clear breach of a UN Security
Council resolution.

It seems Blair has his own intelligence sources. He has claimed Chechen
fighters were fighting in Iraq. This was news to the successor of the KGB,
and news to everyone else, including the US, but let's not digress.

Like all liars, Blair becomes ever more desperate, and digs a deepening
hole. He is now claiming (mid July) that as Iraq imported a few hundred
tonnes of uranium from Niger in the 1980s, it is 'not beyond the bounds of
possibility' that it has done so more recently. That is the strength of
his 'evidence'

Jack Straw has also added his two pennies worth, claiming a nuclear
scientist who was part of the weapons programme, had centrifuge parts
buried in his back garden (he neglected to mention they were buried 12
years ago).

Let's look at the reality. For a nuclear weapons programme, Iraq would have
to import several thousand tonnes of uranium in the form of yellow cake
from Niger. A large plant would be needed to turn this yellow cake into
uranium hexafluoride, another large plant of cascading centrifuges to
concentrate the 1% fissile isotope to around 99% for weapons grade material
(though less if the intention was a crude dirty bomb). To construct the
plants needs a high degree of technology (possible when UK was happily
supplying the parts and expertise). These plants are huge, the amount of
energy required is huge. It is not beyond the bounds of possibility that US
satellites might just have noticed such activities.

There are two processing plants in Niger producing yellow cake. These are
part French owned. Would not French intelligence have noticed? IAEA has to
be notified of shipments of yellow cake. There are tight sanctions on Iraq,
it is not a simple matter slipping through several thousand tonnes of
yellow cake.

It should not be forgotten that we went to war, not because of acts of
aggression by Iraq, but as a pre-emptive measure because not only the
region, but US and UK were threatened, Iraq was within 45 minutes of
launching an attack.

So where was the evidence? Both British and US intelligence have said off
the record that there was no evidence. Veterans of the CIA have complained
of politicisation of the CIA. An ex-member of the US State Department has
recently gone on the record to say the evidence did not stack up for war
with Iraq. Spanish intelligence have said they had no evidence. Mossad said
Iraq was not an immediate threat. Other countries of the region said Iraq
was not a threat.

We did have a very reliable intelligence source. This was Saddam Hussein's
son-in-law who defected to the West with crate loads of documents to secure
his acceptance. Before his defection he was part of the trusted
inner-circle, head of the biological, chemical and nuclear weapons
programmes. He told his interrogators that these programmes had been
stopped, and what weapons and facilities did exist had been destroyed. The
UN weapons inspectors who checked up on his story, were satisfied he was
telling the truth. He then went back to his death in Iraq.

If 'evidence' is 'discovered' on the ground, there will be a strong
suspicion that it has been planted or fabricated, like the so-called mobile
biological/chemical laboratories or the crudely forged documents planted to
discredit George Galloway MP.

The mobile labs, far from being kitted out camper vans or trailers, were
canvas covered trucks. Their real purpose was part of an Artillery
Meteorology System (AMETS), balloons are launched to predict wind speed,
supplied by Marconi. Covered by export credit guarantees, which when Saddam
defaulted, the UK taxpayer picked up the bill.

We need a judicial inquiry. Blair fears such an inquiry because he saw what
the Scott Inquiry did to the Tories over weapons to Iraq.

As with weapons to Iraq, we are likely to see more come out in the US than
in UK.

In the meantime Blair must go. The only useful thing Clair Short has ever
done is to call for the resignation of Blair. But is not only Blair, it is
all those around him who are flocking to the media to back him in his lies
- Jack Straw, David Blunkett, Geoff Hoon et al. All must be swept away.

But resignation is not enough. Blair, Straw and Hoon should be put on trial
for war crimes.

In Iraq, the country is descending into chaos, attacks on US troops are on
the increase, and now it seems the troops themselves are on the verge of
mutiny, having been told they cannot go home and will have to be picked of
one by one whilst they remain as sitting ducks in temperatures in excess of
50 degrees.

Which only leaves the weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Are there such
weapons. Yes, the country is carpeted with the remnants of depleted uranium
weapons and unexploded cluster bombs.

 http://www.heureka.clara.net/gaia/