Look here... http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2004/05/11/pf-455210.html Prime Minister Paul Martin says he believes Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction and they've fallen into terrorists' hands. Martin said the threat of terrorism is even greater now than it was following the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, because terrorists have acquired nuclear, chemical and biological weapons from the toppled Iraqi leader.
Agreed. However it really is a catch-22 as how can you be 100% positive he would have kept the weapons to himself and not made them available to terrorists? This question should have arrisen last month when the chemical bomb plot was foiled in Amman. I do not believe they said what type of chemicals were involved but they did say they were believed to have been acquired in Syria, by way of Iraq.
there's absolutely no evidence of anything like that. we haven't even found evidence of active, advanced programs. it's very, very unlikely they have chem or bio from Iraq and since its clear Iraq never had a nuclear weapon, there is NO way terrorists got a nuclear weapon from iraq.
I think the PM was trying to score some points with Bush. That said, if terrorists are aqcuiring WMDs (god forbid) they're most likely getting them from Pakistan or North Korea.
csc7, I would suggest you read the David Kay report. I would also suggest you inquire how it is that terrorists were arrested in Jordan and were prepared to send up a toxic cloud made up of 20 tons of chemical weaponry, including VX. I sure would like to know. Paul
Bush? Perhaps you should point to the French, Germans, Russians and the UN for pvssy-footing around for months, allowing Saddam to remove his weapons. Blame Bush for waiting around for them, I guess.
Martin's been trying to repair relations with Bush that were brought to a low by Chretien in the previous years. Martin is trying to show also that he's taking a serious position on terrorisim. Although his Liberal supporters and most Canadians still use the "it can't happen here" mode of thinking. Also, Martin is expected to call an election in the next couple of weeks. He's in for a fight now after domestic issues wrecked his high popularity ratings.
And who didn't want UN inspectors roving around Iraq looking for this stuff? Who pulled out the inspectors to invade and occupy Iraq? Besides, before the war we had constant aircraft and satellite surveillance, interception of all broadcast communications, taps into the land lines, (supposedly) helpful Iraqis in positions of authority, inspection of all ships, and actual teams of special forces wandering around. None of these are useful for finding stuff that's been buried for a decade - it is only useful if the stuff is being moved. You can't be stealthy moving tons of chemicals 250 miles. It requires lots of manpower, lots of orders being sent, and lots of trucks being used. It will cause ripples through Iraqi logistics, and it would require similar work on the Syrian end (and if they are not being spied on by us, they would certainly be spied on by the Israelis). I would think that the White House would have wanted Iraq to take chances and try to move something because it would give us the best chance to get some real evidence.
A recent front cover of the British satirical magazine, Private Eye, has Tony Blair meeting Gaddafi who is saying 'I've got rid of all my weapons' to which Blair responds 'Can we sell you some more?'. That's how we knew Saddam had WMD, (or, as Blair accidentally called them when visiting British troops in Iraq, 'Weapons of mass distraction'), - we checked our invoices.
thanks for the suggestion, you're several months late though. there were latent programs in Iraq, but no signs of active development or actual weapons. i suggest you either read it or read it more closely. i'd appreciate a link to the jordan thing (especially the 20 tons of weaponry part), but clearly there are no other sources of chemical weapons besides Iraq, so it must have come from there.
Yes, but it doesn't say where the chemicals came from does it. Why would one automatically assume Iraq when there are other rogue states who are ACTIVELY distributing WMD. My money is that crap came from the Syrians.