US WMD-HUNTER
ADMITS IRAQ HAD NO WMD
- from
The Insider - Information
Bulletin
The
pretence of the search for WMD in Iraq ended yesterday when the top American
weapons inspector announced his resignation, saying there were no such weapons
to be found.
The search for WMD in Iraq after the conquest was a hollow gesture designed to
perpetuate the myth used to justify the war. Mr Kay's expertise was wasted on
such a futile and fruitless exercise. Privately, he felt "disillusioned" with
the whole project.
Dr Kay, unable to continue with the pretence about Iraqi WMD, admitted "I don’t
think they existed". The US quickly replaced Kay with a retired UN weapons
inspector, Charles Duelfer, but even Mr Duelfer admits he doesn't expect to find
any WMD.
The British government reacted swiftly to protect their position, claiming that
they are "confident" of finding evidence of WMD. But the fact that we are still
waiting for evidence highlights the fact that there was no evidence to support
the accusations against Iraq issued by American and British politicians. Their
excuse for the invasion was a lie, and they knew it.
The true purpose of the invasion of Iraq was to secure the oil fields.
Mission accomplished:
http://www.thedebate.org
SOURCES:
BBC News, "US chief Iraq arms expert quits", 24 January 2004.
[
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/americas/3425429.stm ]
The head of the team searching for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, David
Kay, has resigned.
Mr Kay said he did not believe Iraq possessed large stockpiles of chemical or
biological weapons.
He is being replaced by a former deputy head of the United Nations weapons
inspections team, Charles Duelfer.
Mr Duelfer said earlier this month he believed the chances of finding chemical
or biological weapons in Iraq were now "close to nil".
Mr Kay gave no reason for leaving, but the BBC's Jon Leyne in Washington says
sources there speak of ... his disillusionment with the weapons search.
...
Financial Times (UK), "Iraq had no WMD, says top US inspector", front-page, 24
January 2004.
[http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&cid=1073281276690]
David Kay, the top US weapons inspector in Iraq, resigned on Friday saying he
did not believe there were any large stockpiles of chemical and biological
weapons in the country.
His remarks were a direct challenge to President George W. Bush, who insisted in
his State of the Union speech on Tuesday that Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi
leader, had pursued dangerous weapons programmes right up to the March invasion.
On Friday night Mr Kay, head of the Iraq Survey Group, which is in charge of the
weapons hunt, said he had concluded there were no Iraqi stockpiles to be found.
"I don't think they existed. What everyone was talking about is stockpiles
produced after the end of the last Gulf War [in 1991] and I don't think there
was a large-scale production programme in the nineties," he said in an interview
with Reuters.
Only last week vice-president Dick Cheney said the US had not given up on
finding unconventional weapons in Iraq. "The jury is still out," he said.
Mr Kay's comments are a setback for Tony Blair, the UK prime minister, who
already faces crucial tests next week, including an inquiry verdict into the
death of David Kelly, the former UK weapons expert. Mr Blair's office last night
tried to put a brave face on Mr Kay's decision to quit.
"It's important people are patient," said a spokesman for Mr Blair. "We must let
the Iraq Survey Group go on doing its work."
Mr Kay had led the hunt for weapons since the fall of Mr Hussein's regime but
his inspections group has been hindered in its search for clear evidence of
chemical, biological and nuclear weapons - one of the Bush administration's main
justifications for the invasion.
...
The Times (UK), "Saddam's weapons of mass destruction didn't exist, says
American who led hunt", front-page, 24 January 2004.
[
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7374-974998,00.html ]
THE American who led the hunt for Saddam Hussein’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD)
for the past eight months resigned last night, saying he did not believe Saddam
Hussein had possessed such an arsenal for a decade.
“I don’t think they existed,” said David Kay. “What everyone was talking about
is stockpiles produced after the end of the last [1991] Gulf War and I don’t
think there was a large-scale production programme in the Nineties.
...
Dr Kay’s comments will be deeply embarrassing for both President Bush and Tony
Blair, who went to war last year to eliminate what they called the imminent
threat posed by Saddam’s alleged chemical, biological and nuclear weaponry. ...
...
BBC News, "Blair 'must admit WMD defeat'", 24 January 2004.
[
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/3425529.stm ]
The prime minister must admit defeat on the issue of Iraq's weapons of mass
destruction, Robin Cook has demanded.
...
But Downing Street said Mr Blair is confident of finding WMD evidence.
...
Created & Posted:
Thursday, January 29, 2004 07:02:57 -0800