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United Nations - CIA-Iraq chief weapons inspector Charles Duelfer, whose report cast doubt on Bush administration claims that Saddam Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction, was blocked from reaching that same conclusion in 1999-2000 by the Clinton White House. Before officially joining the CIA weapons hunt earlier this year, Duelfer spent more than 8 years hunting WMD at the United Nations, first for the noted Swede Rolf Ekeus, than the flamboyant Aussie Richard Butler. Butler, known for his repeated clashes with Iraq officials, was eventually forced out of his U.N. job by the French and Russian ambassadors in June...

Document ISGQ-2005-00026108.pdf dated July 25 2000 is a report from an Iraqi Intelligence officer to different Iraqi Intelligence Directorates talking about information provided to them from a trusted source that works in the Associated Press (AP). The information is about the formation a newly formed UN weapons inspectors team called UNMOVIC. Translation of page 4 and 5 of ISGQ-2005-00026108.pdf Republic of Iraq The Presidency of the Republic The Intelligence Service Date: 25/7/2000 Number: 6146 Secret To: 5th / 4th / 13th Directorates We were informed from one of our sources (the degree of trust in him is good) who works...

Three giant cargo ships are being tracked by US and British intelligence on suspicion that they might be carrying Iraqi weapons of mass destruction. Each with a deadweight of 35,000 to 40,000 tonnes, the ships have been sailing around the world's oceans for the past three months while maintaining radio silence in clear violation of international maritime law, say authoritative shipping industry sources. The vessels left port in late November, just a few days after UN weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix began their search for the alleged Iraqi arsenal on their return to the country. Uncovering such a deadly...

The accession of United States President Barack Obama has paved the way to a peaceful Iran solution, according to former United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix. Blix believes the deadlock between the West and Iran over nuclear capabilities was made worse by the "contempt" shown by the former US administration. He also said that the Iraq war was lost rather than won. Blix rose to prominence in 2000 when he was appointed by the UN to search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. The former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) poured cold water on the pretext...

World history, as most Westerners interprets it, very much revolves around nations like France, Russia/Soviet, Britain, Italy and USA. These corners of the Earth, undeniably, have played major roles in the development of mankind. BUT, there seems to be a gap in the historical knowledge of several, otherwise well educated, Westerners concerning what took place during the period of approximately 1620-1720 on European soil. A lot of people seem aware that Britain at that time was not really, yet, the world's leading power and that France, Spain, Austria and Holland excersised much of influence over world affairs. However, during this...

Blix: West approach on Iran 'hypocritical' Wed, 14 May 2008 17:53:20 Former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix hammers world powers for their 'hypocritical' approach to the Islamic Republic's nuclear issue. In a recent interview with Channel Four News, Blix said the West's approach to Tehran's nuclear standoff is in marked contrast to that of North Korea. "The North Koreans have been offered guarantees against any attacks from outside, the Iranians have not been offered this as far as we know, nor have they been offered diplomatic relations which the North Koreans have been," said the former IAEA chief. "When you...

LONDON (AFP) - Hans Blix, the former chief UN weapons inspector, slammed the Iraq war as a "tragedy" and blamed it on leaders ignoring the facts, in a comment piece published Thursday. Writing in The Guardian on the five-year anniversary of the US-led invasion of Iraq, Blix, who clashed with Washington in the run-up to the Iraq war, described the war as "a tragedy -- for Iraq, for the US, for the UN, for truth and human dignity." In the sub-headline to the comment piece, Blix, who headed the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission, wrote that responsibility for the...

Former United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix has warned that Iran’s nuclear ambition is more serious than was the case with Iraq in 2003. Dr Blix delivered the Sydney Peace Prize Lecture last night, saying he was still optimistic the international community could escape the threat posed by nuclear weapons.But he said that souring relations between the big world powers could raise long-term military tensions. See: http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/blix-iran-greater-nuclear-threat-than-iraq-was/2007/11/07/1194329319275.html

SYDNEY — Former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix, here to receive the Sydney Peace Prize, believes the US plans to stay long in Iraq to guarantee the flow of oil supplies and to keep a close eye on neighboring Iran."One fear I would have is that the US has a hidden thought to remain in Iraq," Blix told the Australian radio."One reason why they wanted in was that they felt they must leave Saudi Arabia. After the Gulf War in 1991, they left their troops in Saudi Arabia to protect pipelines,". "And when they felt they could no longer...

On the 62nd annivesary of the United States using the atomic bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima, Swedish diplomat Hans Blix, chairman of the Commission on Weapons of Mass Destruction, told Swedish Radio News he believes there is a continued threat that nuclear weapons might be used. Blix says the US, along with Britain, China and Russia, are all developing new nuclear weapons. However Blix also points out that the Unites States is showing a tendency towards diplomatic solutions, citing the American government’s willingness to cooperate more with the United Nations regarding North Korea.

American Bar Association Address American Bar Association Address by Hans Blix Hans Blix, Weapon of Mass Destruction Commission Chairman, was a luncheon speaker at the annual spring meeting of the American Bar Association Section of International Law. His topics included weapons of mass destruction, the Bush administration, and Iraq. 5/4/2007: WASHINGTON, DC: 47 min.

SYDNEY (AFP) - Former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix, who opposed the US-led invasion of Iraq, was named Monday as the winner of the 2007 Sydney Peace Prize. Blix led the hunt for Iraq's alleged weapons of mass destruction and argued against the 2003 invasion -- which was joined by Australia -- saying the United Nations should be allowed to continue inspections instead. The citation for the 50,000 Australian dollar (41,000 US) award noted his "principled and courageous opposition to proponents of war in Iraq," his life-long advocacy of non-violence and his leadership of disarmament programs. Blix, a Swede,...

Former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said Monday the United States, Europe and the UN Security Council are ''humiliating'' Iran by demanding that it suspend uranium enrichment before any negotiations and then dictating its rewards. 'The first incentive, I think, is to sit down with them in a direct talk rather than saying to them 'you do this, thereafter we will sit down at a table and tell you what you get for it,''' Blix said. ''That's getting away from a humiliating neo-colonial attitude to a more normal (one).'' ''People have their own pride whether you like them or...

Former UN weapons inspector slams US and Europe over 'humiliating neo-colonial' attitude to Iran. 'People have their own pride whether you like them or don't,' he adds, urging use of economic incentives for better diplomacy Associated Press Published: 02.26.07, 23:29 / Israel News Former chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix said Monday the United States, Europe and the UN Security Council are ''humiliating'' Iran by demanding that it suspend uranium enrichment before any negotiations and then dictating its rewards. He said the package of economic and political incentives put forward in June 2006 by the US and key European countries,...

Before attacking me, read the entire article and my comments on it. Before starting to read the article, read the sentence above.Former UN weapons inspector Hans Blix warned on Thursday that global warming was a greater threat than weapons of mass destruction, and advocated promoting peaceful nuclear technology around the world. "The threat against the global environment and global warming are a greater threat than weapons of mass destruction," he told journalists on the final day of a visit to Egypt promoting his commission's report on reducing weapons of mass destruction worldwide. "It is of utmost imperative that the whole...

Swedish researchers claim to have found proscribed weapons in Iraq A group of Swedish researchers, travelling to Iraq without the knowledge of the Swedish government, is announcing that they have found missiles for weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in a house in Baghdad. The finds will be presented in a forthcoming production by World Television Network (WTN). The information supposedly came to Swedish WTN reporter Maria Wera Cedrell, who has worked in Iraq for 15 years, through an Iraqi scientist. She was assisted by former arms inspector and WMD expert Åke Sellström from Swedish Defence Research Agency (Totalförsvarets forskningsinstitut, FOI)....

Former United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix on Wednesday described the United States-led invasion of Iraq as a "pure failure" that had left the country worse off than under the rule of Saddam Hussein. In unusually harsh comments to Danish newspaper Politiken, the diplomatic Swede said the US government had ended up in a situation in which neither staying nor leaving Iraq were good options. "Iraq is a pure failure," Blix was quoted as saying. "If the Americans pull out, there is a risk that they will leave a country in civil war. At the same time, it doesn't...

The war in Iraq is a "pure failure" that has left Iraqis in a worse state than when they lived under Saddam Hussein, former United Nations chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said in comments published Wednesday. "Iraq is a pure failure," Blix was quoted as saying in the Danish newspaper Politiken. "If the Americans pull out, there is a risk that they will leave a country in civil war. At the same time it doesn't seem that the United States can help to stabilize the situation by staying there." Blix, in comments that were seen as unusually critical for the...

STOCKHOLM, Sweden A tough-line stance against North Korea in wake of its nuclear weapons test could lead to an armed response from Pyongyang, former U.N. chief weapons inspector Hans Blix said Wednesday.In an interview with Swedish Radio, Blix said sanctions and threats of military attacks against North Korea was likely to lead to further escalation instead of a diplomatic solution. "If you look at North Korea's previous reactions when they have been exposed to threats, things have usually escalated," Blix said. "It is a dangerous situation." Blix also warned against pressuring China to stop and search North Korean ships for...

The former UN chief weapons inspector said Iran will be able to produce a nuclear bomb within five years if it is allowed to enrich uranium on an industrial scale. "It is a matter of will," Hans Blix told The Associated Press, adding that while Iranian leaders now say they have no desire to build atomic arms and want UN inspectors to oversee their facilities, "they might change their mind."