NY Times: Iraq Had WMD 'Stockpiles' in 2003

News Max ^ | March 13, 2005 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[MisterRepublican]

In a stunning about-face, the New York Times reported Sunday that when the U.S. attacked Iraq in March 2003, Saddam Hussein possessed "stockpiles of monitored chemicals and materials," as well as sophisticated equipment to manufacture nuclear and biological weapons, which was removed to "a neighboring state" before the U.S. could secure the weapons sites.

The U.N.'s Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission [Unmovic], "has filed regular reports to the Security Council since last May," the paper said, "about the dismantlement of important weapons installations and "the export of dangerous materials to foreign states."

"Officials of the commission and the [International] Atomic Energy Agency have repeatedly called on the Iraqi government to report on what it knows of the fate of the thousands of pieces of monitored equipment and stockpiles of monitored chemicals and materials."

Last fall, IAEA director Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei confirmed that "nuclear-related materials" had gone missing from monitored sites, calling on the interim Iraqi government to start the process of accounting for the missing stockpiles still ostensibly under the agency's supervision.

[chaosagent]

bump

[ken21]

interesting take.

[Half Vast Conspiracy]

I urge all to read the Times original report and see what it says.

Aren't you afraid that we'll figure out that your "quotes" aren't really in the article?

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Well the place was filled with ordinary munitions, "Bad Stuff", and most interesting to me was all the "barrels of insecticide" found at military installations, yet nurseryman couldn't afford to buy it....so why was that?

But in terms of Stockpiles of FULLY prepared and READY ? "Stockpiles of WMD"...they haven't been found.

[Peach]

This was a VERY interesting article; I wish the Pubbies would talk about these matters more often when they appear on the political shows.

[CurlyBill]

The Bush Lied strategy failed, so let's switch to Bush let stockpiles get away.

This is exactly what these shameless Dumbasscrats will do!

[hershey]

So what. That was then, this is now. The NYTimes doesn't bother itself about past lies.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Possible connection of more dots beyond the article we have Syria doing it's thing in this article:

Syria Pulls Out a Third of Its Troops ~~ 10,000 troops ... mainly in the Bekaa Valley ...

Is the Bekaa Valley the most logical place to have them????

[SeaBiscuit]

Your absolutely right, the NYSlimes has wrote nothing more than another hit piece. The title alone should be an indicator of what their intent really was.

"Looting at Weapons Plants Was Systematic"

This is a side piece along side the article, notice the title.

"U.N. experts say at least 90 weapons sites have been looted or razed since the invasion in 2003."


Two paragraphs below makes it clear that the Times is not only making it look like we were inept in securing chemicals and parts, but that we also allowed important economic structure to be destroyed.

"Dr. Araji, whose tenure with the ministry goes back to the 1980's, is now involved in plans to use the sites as manufacturing centers in what the ministry hopes will be a new free-market economy in Iraq. He said that disappointment at losing such valuable equipment was a prime reason that the ministry was determined to speak frankly about what had happened.

"We talk straight about these matters, because it's a sad thing that this took place in Iraq," Dr. Araji said. "We need anything that could support us here."

And the final paragraph of the story is the kicker!

"During the American presidential election last fall, news of that letter ignited a political firestorm. Privately, officials of the monitoring commission and the atomic energy agency have speculated on whether the political uproar made Baghdad reluctant to disclose more details of looting."

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Talk about a camoflaged piece!

So maybe Newsmax had the right idea....spin it our way.

[SeaBiscuit]

LOL!! If the Slimes can spin so can NewsMax.. and they do!

Actually, neither spin does any good, it just adds to public confusion as a 'he said, she said' debate. We need the straight truth, which is right here at FR after FReeper's run their spin through analysis.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Another outstanding job by Freepers on BOTH pieces.....

[gidget7]

"Is this an alternate reality?




That or a major KISS UP!! Reader beware. These homosexuals who run these papers, think they run the country, If they don't say it is so it isn't, Until they say it's so. Or so they think.

[speedy]

Yes, I'm afraid you are right about Newsmax.

[Lady In Blue]

"The top Iraqi defense official said equipment capable of making parts for missiles as well as chemical, biological and nuclear arms was missing from 8 or 10 sites that were the heart of Iraq's WMD program."

PING!

[Lady In Blue]

Well, well, well! Isn't this something?! And from the NY Times no less. Thanks very much for the thread.

[SeaBiscuit]

Those are NewsMax's words, NOT the NYSlimes, that statement is not present in the Times article.

[Lady In Blue]

THANK YOU!! I also read this article as saying that the so-called looting was done BEFOREas well as doing the invasion.

[Lady In Blue]

I'm sure people at DU wants to read it that way as well. Won't work.