Colin Campbell (remove underscore) wrote in message . ..

So you are saying that we sold _civilian_ helicopters to Iraq that
were later converted to military use. You apparently are ignoring the
fact that we ceased selling them helicopters when they began
converting them to military use.

Right. The US administration of the time sold over a hundred
helicopters, all with military applications, to Iraq in the middle of
the Iran-Iraq... and the government's expectation was that they were
being sold as _civilian aircraft_??? C'mon. You will note that the
sale of the 214s was made over Congressional opposition, which
revolved around exactly this issue. Anyone in the American government
at the time who was not terminally stupid knew exactly what those
helicopters were being sold for, and it wasn't civilian use.

And I am aware of teh scale of European arms sales to Iraq over the
same period, thank 'ee. I was responding to one example of persistent
attempts to minimise America's involvement with Saddam Hussein's
regime over the same period.

I have a question - why are you singling out the US for this
criticism?...
Your priorities are a little out of whack. (Or is it only wrong if
the US does it?)

Nope. It's wrong if anyone does it... the French for example. See
above: whenMr Irby talks about a 'few small helicopters', he's
misrepresenting the equipment transfers that did take place, and also
misrepresenting the political context in which they were sold.

Scott