- BASRA - Fifty days after
the first reports that the U.S. forces were unloading weapons of mass destruction
(WMD) in southern Iraq, new reports about the movement of these weapons
have been disclosed.
-
- Given the recent scandals to the effect that the U.S.
president was privy to the 9/11 plot, they might try to immediately announce
the discovery of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq in order to overshadow
the scandals and prevent a further decline of Bushís public opinion
rating as the election approaches.
-
- Sources in Iraq speculate that occupation forces are
using the recent unrest in Iraq to divert attention from their surreptitious
shipments of WMD into the country.
-
- An Iraqi source close to the Basra Governorís
Office told the MNA that new information shows that a large part of the
WMD, which was secretly brought to southern and western Iraq over the past
month, are in containers falsely labeled as containers of the Maeresk shipping
company and some consignments bearing the labels of organizations such
as the Red Cross or the USAID in order to disguise them as relief shipments.
-
- The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, added
that Iraqi officials including forces loyal to the Iraqi Governing Council
stationed in southern Iraq have been forbidden from inspecting or supervising
the transportation of these consignments. He went on to say that the occupation
forces have ordered Iraqi officials to forward any questions on the issue
to the coalition forces. Even the officials of the international relief
organizations have informed the Iraqi officials that they would only accept
responsibility for relief shipments which have been registered and managed
by their organizations.
-
- The Iraqi source also confirmed the report about suspicious
trucks with fake Saudi and Jordanian license plates entering Iraq at night
last week, stressing that the Saudi and Jordanian border guards did not
attempt to inspect the trucks but simply delivered them to the U.S. and
British forces stationed on Iraqís borders.
-
- However, the source expressed ignorance whether the governments
of Saudi Arabia and Jordan were aware of such movements.
-
- A professor of physics at Baghdad University also told
the MNA correspondent that a group of his colleagues who are highly specialized
in military, chemical and biological fields have been either bribed or
threatened during the last weeks to provide written information on what
they know about various programs and research centers and the possible
storage of WMD equipment.
-
- The professor also said these people have been openly
asked to confirm or deny the existence of research or related WMD equipment.
A large number of these scientists, who are believed to be under the surveillance
of U.S. intelligence operatives, have claimed that if they refuse to comply
with this request, they may be killed or arrested on charges of concealing
the truth if these weapons are found by the Bush administration in the
future.
-
- He said that the Iraqi scientists believe their lives
would be in danger if they decline to cooperate with the occupation forces,
especially when they recall that senior U.S. officer Michael Peterson once
said, ìIraqi scientists are at any case a threat to the U.S. administration,
whether they talk or not.î
-
- A source close to the Iraqi Governing Council said, ìIn
the meantime, many suspect containers disguised as fuel supplies have been
moved about by some units of the U.S. special forces. The move has been
carried out under heavy security measures. Also, there are unofficial reports
that the containers held biological and bacteriological toxins in liquid
form. It is possible that the news about the discovery of the WMDs would
be announced later.î
-
- He also said that such mixtures had been used by the
Saddam regime in the 1990s.
-
- The source added that some provocative actions such as
the closure of Al-Hawza periodical by U.S. administrator Paul Bremer, the
secret meetings between his envoys with some extremist groups who have
no relations with the Iraqi Governing Council, the sudden upsurge in violence
in central and southern Iraq, a number of activities which have stoked
up the wrath of the prominent Shia clerics, and finally, the spate of kidnappings
and the baseless charges against the Iranian charge díaffaires in
Baghdad are providing the necessary smokescreen for the transportation
of the WMD to their intended locations.
-
- He said they are quite aware that the White House in
cooperation with the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) has directly tasked
the Defense Department to hide these weapons. Given the recent scandals
to the effect that the U.S. president was privy to the 9/11 plot, they
might try to immediately announce the discovery of weapons of mass destruction
in Iraq in order to overshadow the scandals and prevent a further decline
of Bushís public opinion rating as the election approaches.
-
- © Copyright 2004 Mehr News Agency
|
