• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

The US and the Iraqi Opposition

Iraq News, NOVEMBER 19, 1998

The central focus of Iraq News is the tension between the considerable, proscribed WMD capabilities that Iraq is holding on to and its increasing stridency that it has complied with UNSCR 687 and it is time to lift sanctions. If you wish to receive Iraq News by email, a service which includes full-text of news reports not archived here, send your request to Laurie Mylroie .

I. INC STATEMENT, AHMAD CHALABI MEETS MARTIN INDYK, NOV 19
II. AHMAD CHALABI MEETS MARTIN INDYK, AP, NOV 18
   At US initiative, yesterday, Iraqi National Congress head, Ahmad 
Chalabi, met Martin Indyk, Asst Sec State for NEA.  An INC press release 
quoted Chalabi as saying, "We had a positive and constructive meeting 
today.  We told Secretary Indyk that the Iraqi people are very 
encouraged by President Clinton's courageous call for a representative 
government in Iraq and today's support for the Iraqi National Congress." 
   As AP reported, "The Clinton administration gave visible support to a 
prominent Iraqi opposition leader Wednesday, announcing he had met with 
a high-level State Department official," while a State Dep't spokesman 
explained that the meeting was held "in the context of the president's 
statement that we will support the opposition."  
   That statement was made on Sun, when Pres Clinton, announcing that 
the US would not strike Iraq, also proclaimed a new, longer-term policy 
to overthrow Saddam [see "Iraq News," Nov 16].  But there was a question 
whether that statement was window-dressing to cover one more major 
embarrassment on Iraq or a real change in policy.  
   As "Iraq News" understands, it is the latter.  It is a new policy, 
which the Congressional leadership was instrumental in formulating and 
which is being worked out in coordination between the administration and 
Congress. 
   That, even as the NYT editors, today, objected to the US policy shift 
and, for the third day running, affirmed their support for dictatorship 
and tyranny in Iraq.  A report on the NYT's front page, baldly supported 
the editorial, citing two UK-based Iraqis, Saad Jabr, publisher of a 
paper called "Free Iraq," and Sami Faraq, writer of a weekly column for 
the paper, in their opposition to US support for the INC.  An Iraqi 
reader, Nibras Kazimi, who runs "Iraq Net," the most popular Iraq site 
on the web, took objection to the sources used by the NYT, describing 
Jabar et. al. as  the "usual circus of freaks who are brought out 
whenever they want to point to the weakness of the Iraqi opposition."
I. INC STATEMENT, AHMAD CHALABI MEETS MARTIN INDYK
INC Holds Positive and Constructive Talks with US Government
WASHINGTON, DC (19 November, 1998): Ahmad Chalabi, President of the 
Executive Council of the Iraqi National Congress, met with Martin Indyk, 
Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs, at the
State Department today.
   Ahmad Chalabi said, "We had a positive and constructive meeting 
today.   We told Secretary Indyk that the Iraqi people are very 
encouraged by President Clinton's courageous call for a representative
government in Iraq and today's support for the Iraqi National Congress."
  "The Iraqi people can take heart from the new US policy of supporting 
the INC and our struggle to remove Saddam Iraq's dictatorship.  We 
believe that a whole new world of opportunity is available to us and we 
look forward to redoubling our struggle with new resources and a renewed 
commitment from all those who believe in democracy in Iraq," said Dr. 
Chalabi.
   "I will be briefing all the members of the INC on this positive 
development and the next steps in our struggle," said Dr. Chalabi.
Contact:  INC Washington (202) 338-5517; INC London (0181) 960 4007