Chad Irby wrote:
In article ,
Scott MacEachern wrote:

On Thu, 16 Oct 2003 22:35:27 GMT, Chad Irby
wrote:

So far, quite a lot.

It's a shame they aren't reporting it in
the European papers.

Nor, strangely enough, in the North American
papers.

Well, maybe not in some of them, but many did
mention the actual
contents of the report itself, which *does*
hold quite a lot of damning
evidence. But the quick and clueless headlines
win again...

On the other hand, we have this lead from
an article in the New York
Times for 16 October
(http://www.nytimes.com/2003/10/16/in...st/16ARMS.html):
"American officials in Baghdad have identified
at least 30 businesses
and individuals in the United States that
investigators said they
suspect sold tens of millions of dollars in
military technology to
Iraq before the war...." Imagine that: American
firms selling arms to
Saddam Hussein.

I'd suggest that before doing any more France-bashing,
you read that
article.

I'd suggest you do the same. Typical quote:

"Officials said they believed that the two San
Diego businessmen, both
of Iraqi descent, delivered and helped to assemble
three 85-foot-long
patrol boats, armed with machine guns, as part
of an $11 million
contract with Mr. Hussein's military."

"But the American authorities said the Yakous
were aware that their
dealings with Mr. Hussein's government violated
American laws. Indeed,
officials said the two men told investigators
in an interview two
months ago that the embargo forced them to route
their supplies through
Jordan, slowing production."

There's also quite a bit of difference between
companies that sell arms
to Iraq *in spite of* the US government, and
people who sell arms to
Iraq with the *support* of the French government...

Or, like Chirac, sell them nuclear power plants
that are basically
designed to make material for bombs (thank goodness
the Israelis took
that one out).

--
cirby at cfl.rr.com

Remember: Objects in rearview mirror may be
hallucinations.
Slam on brakes accordingly.
Good thing the Israelis did execute Operation BABYLON in 1981.
There was only one purpose for the Osirak reactor: bomb making. As far as
our French friends selling Iraq stuff up until the war, what the hell were
you guys thinking? The atropine, NBC suits, and other CW gear captured during
the push to Baghdad tells a lot: the Iraqis had WMDs and wanted to protect
their own troops-they knew that the US and Brits had no chem/bio weapons,
so why give their own troops the NBC gear? Explain that.
And add the Russians in as well: where did the Iraqis get AT-15 ATGMs to
disable several M-1s,hmm?
Seems both the French and the Russians have things to hide in covering for
their friend Saddam Insane. And once all the captured documents are examined
and released, seems Paris, Moscow, Berlin, and Beijing are going to be embarassed.
No wonder they didn't want Saddam taken down.

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