Blix Dismisses Blair's Weapons Claim

MARCH 2003 : (IAEA : EL BARADEI SAYS IRAQ MENTIONED IT HAD AN AGENT IN AFRICA WHO HAD VISITED NIGER IN FEBRUARY 1999) He said Baghdad suggested the visit by an unidentified Iraqi official to a number of African countries, including Niger, in February 1999, might have given rise to the allegations. - VOA News Report, V-O-A Correspondent ALEX BELIDA, 03/07/03, via
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iraq/2003/iraq-030307-2d189eab.htm.

MARCH 2003 : (JORDAN BASE POISON PLOT : JORDAN EXPELS IRAQI DIPLOMATS)

One would have thought that ol' Scotty would have been comfortable on "Slime Time Live".

MARCH 1, 2003 : (DEADLINE FOR IRAQ TO DESTROY MISSILES AND ROCKET ENGINES) UNMOVIC has reportedly ordered Iraq to destroy all of its Al Samoud 2 missiles and 380 rocket engines that were illegally imported by Saturday, March 1. This is also the date that a written report from UNMOVIC is due to the United Nations Security Council. - http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/iraq-timeline.htm.

MARCH 2003 first week : (CUBA : CASTRO TELLS IRAQ TO DESTROY ITS WMD & COMMENTS ON IRAN ) President Fidel Castro has urged Baghdad to destroy "the last cubic centimetre of chemical or biological weapons" to remove any pretext Washington might have to attack it. At the close of the new Cuban parliamentary legislature, in which Castro's re-election as head of the government and the state came as no surprise, the Cuban leader praised Iraq's decision to destroy its Al-Samoud 2 missiles. "The American Government will no longer have the least legal or moral pretext to attack Iraq," Castro said. He slammed Washington for closing its eyes to atomic weapons held by Israel having provided the means for their transportation. "Only the complete truth ... would give the Iraqi people enough moral strength and international support to defend their homeland and integrity right up to the last drop of blood," he said. Castro acknowledged that Iraq had "committed two grave and unjustifiable actions" in invading Iran and occupying Kuwait, but had also had to endure "very hard action" itself. Iraq "is not in a position, militarily speaking, to constitute the least risk to US security or of their allies in the region", Castro said.- "Castro tells Iraq: destroy weapons," Agence France-Presse , March 7, 2003

MARCH 7, 2003 : (UNITED NATIONS SECURITY COUNCIL : INSPECTOR BLIX REPORT ON IRAQ), Mar 08, 2003-- In a 173-page dossier on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction, chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix says Baghdad may possess about 10,000 liters of anthrax, Scud missile warheads filled with deadly biological and chemical agents, and drones that far exceed the 150-kilometer (93-mile) limit. The report, obtained late Friday by The Associated Press, traces the history of Iraq's weapons programs and outlines the many areas where questions remain - many old but some new.
Blix told the Security Council earlier in the day that he planned to cull the document and compile a list of key remaining disarmament tasks by the end of March that Iraq must complete. The table of contents reflects the scope of the unanswered questions: missile technology, aerial bombs, spray devices and drones, mustard gas, Sarin, chemical processing equipment, Botulism toxin, ricin, genetic engineering and viral research - and the list goes on.
British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw described the document as "a shocking indictment of the record of Saddam Hussein's deception and deceit, but above all, of the danger which he poses to the region and to the world." Britain and the United States, which are seeking Security Council approval for a war against Iraq, can find plenty of ammunition in the dossier to support their argument that Baghdad has failed to cooperate and fully disarm. But opponents of a rush to war counter that Iraq is starting to provide evidence - and therefore U.N. weapons inspections should continue.
Blix has previously questioned Iraq's reporting of its destruction of anthrax supplies from 1988 to 1991. He said Iraq declared that it produced 8,445 liters but cited evidence in the new report that it produced more. "The strong presumption is that about 10,000 liters of anthrax was not destroyed and may still exist," he said. In addition, "Iraq currently possesses the technology and materials, including fermenters, bacterial growth media and seed stock, to enable it to produce anthrax."
"Many of the skilled personnel familiar with anthrax production have been transferred to civilian industries. There does not appear to be any choke points, which would prevent Iraq from producing anthrax on at least the scale of its pre-1991 level," Blix said.
The chief inspector also expressed concern about Iraq's program to build pilot-less aircraft known as drones, citing intelligence reports that Saddam Hussein is developing vehicles with a range of 500 kilometers (312 miles) - far exceeding the 150-kilometer (93-mile) limit. While small, Blix said, drones can be used to spray biological warfare agents such as anthrax. Iraq hasn't declared the development of any drones that fly automatically, though it has declared that it developed two vehicles controlled from the ground or other aircraft with a range of 100 kilometers (62 miles), he said, adding that this must be investigated. "Recent inspections have also revealed the existence of a drone with a wingspan of 7.45 meters (24.43 feet) that has not been declared by Iraq.
Officials at the inspection site stated that the drone had been test flown," Blix said. The chief inspector also expressed concern that Baghdad may be developing or planning missiles other than the Al Samoud 2 - which Iraq has started destroying - that may also have ranges exceeding 150 kilometers (93 miles). "Indications of this come from solid propellant casting chambers Iraq has acquired through indigenous production, or from the repair of old chambers," he said. "The size of these chambers would enable the manufacture of a missile system with a range much greater than 150 kilometers (93 miles)."
Blix said Iraq must also produce evidence to prove it has fully abandoned its program to develop a medium-range ballistic missile with a range of between 1,000 and 3,000 kilometers (625 and 1,875 miles). On Scud-B missiles, he said, "the lack of documentation to support the destruction of Scud-B liquid propellant, and the fact that approximately 50 warheads were not accounted for among the remnants of unilateral destruction, suggest that these items may have been retained for a proscribed missile force."
Iraq must also account for up to 30 chemical and biological Scud-type warheads which it claims it destroyed, he said. One way would be to provide minutes from a committee formed in 1991 to address the issue of retaining banned material and weapons, he said. Copyright 2003 Associated Press, All rights reserved - "Chief inspector says Baghdad may possess 10,000 liters of anthrax," by EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press (AP WorldStream via COMTEX) , March 8, 2003

MARCH 8, 2003 : (UN : BLIX BURIED INFO ON IRAQI DRONE, DID NOT MENTION IT IN PRESENTATION TO SECURITY COUNCIL) A report declassified by the United Nations yesterday revealed that weapons inspectors had recently found an undeclared Iraqi drone that could threaten troops with a biological attack. U.S. officials were outraged that U.N. weapons chief Hans Blix did not tell the Security Council about the unpiloted plane, but instead tried to bury the bombshell revelation in his 173-page report, the Times of London reports. Secretary of State Colin Powell had informed the Security Council last month that Iraq had test-flown a drone. In another section of the report, U.N. inspectors warn Iraq also has spraying devices that could be used to disperse chemical and biological agents from an airplane, the paper reported. The report also warns that Iraq has huge stockpiles of anthrax and may be developing long-range missiles that could possess small pox. - "U.N. BURIED IRAQ-DRONE REPORT," by CLEMENTE LISI, New York Post, 3/08/03

MARCH 10, 2003 : (IRAQ HAD ROCKETS MADE OF MATERIALS IT HAD FALSLEY CLAIMED WERE DETROYED) More to discuss than the drones today, looks like : Fox cable news reports that Iraq has a new, previously undiscovered type of rocket built out of materials Iraq already claimed it had destroyed.They are capable of being used in biochem warfare. - http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/861006/posts?page=4

Gee, we were wondering what happened to Mr McGoo?

Didn't Hans Blix have a son?

And named him Scotty "Pedo" Ritter

MARCH ? 2003 Monday : (SARGAT, IRAQ) Kurdish soldiers on Monday continued sporadic fighting in several villages around Halabja and along the Iran-Iraq border near the village of Sargat, site of a destroyed building once allegedly used by Ansar militants to produce poison. Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Sunday the Sargat compound was probably the site where militants made a biological toxin, traces of which were later found by police in London. "We think that's probably where the ricin that was found in London came (from)" he told CNN's "Late Edition." "At least the operatives and maybe some of the formulas came from this site." British police raided a London apartment in January and found traces of ricin, a powerful poison made from castor plant beans. U.S. officials believe the poison and those arrested were linked to Ansar. - "Raid Finds al-Qaida Tie to Iraq Militants (Strongest Evidence Yet)," by DAFNA LINZER and BORZOU DARAGAHI, AP , 3/31/03

I dismiss Mr. Blix's dismissal.

Ol' McGoo inevitably turns up on the tails of any announcement concerning Iraqi WMD.

He expects us to believe, I suppose, that Iraq assssinated two scientists out of fear they were telling Kay about the recently discovered Iraqi cancer cure, which no doubt has a patent pending.

What's the pay-off for Blix and Ritter at this point? Other than leftist propaganda pushing that is. Really, what benefits them by continuing to be so vocal in their resistance to the reports and evidence?

Saddam is gone. France and Germany, potential revenue source for Blix & Company are cut out of the reconstruction contracts,~~ would they continue to keep Blixie on the payroll just to bash Bush/Blair?

The UN....is whining and won't go back into Iraq. Are they so invested in criticizing the coalition they've made Blix a lifetime pig suckling at the UN teat to spout their official line?

Blix and Ritter are sticking their necks out big time at this point IMO. To be so adamant. With such denial.

?? What are they getting out of this??

Prairie

?? What are they getting out of this??

If justice was served, a good ass whippin'.