Iraq News, JULY 9, 1999
By Laurie MylroieThe 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. IRAQ CHARGES MINE EXPERT WITH LOCUST SABOTAGE, INA, JUL 6
II. MINE EXPERT EXPELLED BY IRAQ, NYT, JUL 9
III. SADDAM ACCUSES UN/US OF GERM WARFARE, IRAQ RADIO, JUL 8
Bush Undersec Def Paul Wolfowitz, addressing TWI, Jun 18, said,
according to TWI's "Peacewatch," Jun 23, "Had President George Bush not
intervened after Saddam invaded Kuwait, there is a very real possibility
that there would have been within a few years a nuclear war between Iraq
and Israel. Moreover, Yasir Arafat was forced to make peace once
radical alternatives like Iraq had disappeared. These facts suggest
that Bush did more for Israel's security than any president since Harry
S. Truman. Currently, however, the containment of Iraq is failing. The
United States needs to accelerate Saddam's demise if it truly wants to
help the peace process."
The Wash Post editors, Jul 2, wrote, "Although the administration no
longer speaks about it much, Saddam Hussein remains most dangerous as a
potential wielder of biological, chemical or nuclear weapons. Nearly a
year has passed since United Nations arms inspectors were even partially
free to operate inside Iraq. More than a half-year has passed since
those inspectors and monitors were booted out altogether. That milestone
is chilling." The editorial is at:
http://search.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/1999-07/02/037l-070299-idx.html
Haaretz, Jul 7, reported that Ehud Barak "intends to try a new
approach toward Iran. . . Barak has never considered Iran Israel's worst
threat. As Chief of Staff, he expressed the opinion that Iraq, which
had proven its belligerence against Israel in previous wars, was far
more troublesome than Iran."
Haaretz, Jul 8, reported that a "softer" Israeli policy toward Iran
began already under the Netanyahu Gov't. "The more moderate posture was
worked out at the end of last year by the 'Iran forum,' which consists
of representatives from the defense establishment, the intelligence
community and the Foreign Ministry."
The Jerusalem Post, Jul 8, reported, "Rabbi Menahem Froman of Tekoa
recently flew to Alma Ata . . . for high-level secret talks on the fate
of the 13 Iranian Jews for espionage, according to the London-based
Foreign Report. . . . Froman [told the Jerusalem Post] that he believes
that with the new government, there is a strong chance that Israel will
change its concept of Iran. 'I can say that with the change in
government what was once considered a concept by a minority may become
one supported by a majority, and that is that Iran will no longer be
considered a threat to Israel's existence,' he said."
Is something afoot and, if so, does it have as much to do with the
threat from Iraq as anything else?
Sometimes, Iraq does strange things, which are difficult to
understand. The possibility always exists that there is something more
than meets the eye, and which will become evident later.
INA, Jul 6, reported that Iraq charged a UN employee from New
Zealand, Ian Broughton, involved in clearing mines in Iraqi Kurdistan,
with having buried several boxes of locust eggs there, "to cause severe
harm to Iraqi agriculture and to vandalize its economy." It demanded
that the UN expel Broughton within 72 hours.
As the NYT, Jul 9, reported, the UN accommodated the bizarre Iraqi
charge, in part because another New Zealander, clearing mines in Iraqi
Kurdistan, had been killed by "unknown" assailants in late April and
Broughton left Iraq yesterday, as demanded by the Iraqis.
Also, yesterday, Iraq radio broadcast another Saddam meeting with a
group of Baathists [see "Iraq News," Jul 2, for earlier meetings]. The
Iraqis have started numbering these events and this was identified as
Saddam' 22nd meeting with senior party cadres. Also, as AP reported,
the speech was carried today by three Iraqi newspapers.
Building on Iraq's bizarre charge, Saddam said, "The enemies even
exploited the United Nations as a tool to disseminate diseases among
people in Iraq. They buried the locusts' eggs so that they will later
become fully-grown locusts that would eat people's food. People would
then be deprived of food and consequently die in this beleaguered state.
. . . When this organization includes low-level employees who commit
such mean acts and bury locusts' eggs, we then wonder what kind of
detestable training those people received to become UN employees. This
is not the work of the individual, but the work of a state and its
intelligence services. . .
"The entire world said that there are spies who worked under the
cover of the United Nations for the United States. Some of the spies
themselves confessed to being agents assigned with certain tasks . . .
Saddam also equated the allegation of locust warfare with germ
warfare. He said, "The shameful behavior of UN employees means
biological warfare in every sense of the word. They are falsely bearing
the banner of fighting against biological war, and are the ones who own
and use weapons of mass destruction and then accuse others of violating
international law, while they themselves launched a biological war on
Iraq, spreading new diseases that never existed in Iraq before the war.
There are those who bury locust eggs to harm agricultural fields, or
transport viruses and germs to Iraq to harm the Iraqis. Why do they do
that and to whose benefit? Do they want food shortages and illnesses to
spread? I apologize, comrades, for drifting to these sad topics."
Indeed, Saddam's "apology" only underscores the question, why did he
bring it up?
I. IRAQ CHARGES MINE EXPERT WITH LOCUST SABOTAGE
Baghdad INA in Arabic 0650 GMT 6 Jul 99
[FBIS Translated Text] Baghdad, 6 Jul (INA)--An authorized spokesman at
the Iraqi Foreign Ministry has made the following statement to INA: It
has come to the attention of the relevant Iraqi authorities that in
April 1999, a UN employee from New Zealand named Ian Bruton [name as
transliterated], who is also known by the name of Reed and is
supervising the project of removing mines at al-Sulaymaniyah Governorate
sector--a project being carried out within the framework of implementing
the memorandum of understanding and the oil-for-food formula--entered
the Klar District in al-Sulaymaniyah Governorate. He went to a place
adjacent to the Khanaqin District border in a vehicle with the Irbil
license plate number of 9047 that belongs to the mines project and bears
the logo of the United Nations Operations Department for Projects
Services, UNOPS. Bruton unloaded some boxes from the vehicle and buried
them in a spot adjacent to the Khanaqin District.
The source added: Later, some citizens from the tribes residing in a
nearby place dug up the boxes. Upon examining their contents, it was
determined that they were eggs of locusts that attack crops. When the
tribes protested, Bruton told them that this was not intended to hurt
them but it was material intended for the Khanaqin District, and would
be sent from there to the rest of the central and southern governorates.
The spokesman went on to say that this criminal and immoral act by
Bruton, an employee working under the cover of the United Nations, is
meant to cause severe harm to Iraqi agriculture and to vandalize its
economy, which has already been suffering under the wrongful embargo
since 1990. This vile act, the source said, conflicts with his mission
in Iraq, which is supposedly a purely humanitarian mission. Bruton's
criminal act also conflicts with the rules governing the conduct of a UN
employee, the source added.
The Government of Iraq denounces and condemns this mean and criminal
act. It has asked the UN secretary general to carry out an investigation
into this hateful crime, reveal those involved, take Bruton to trial,
and make sure that such acts of vandalism are not repeated under the
cover of the United Nations. The Foreign Ministry also summoned the
coordinator of the Iraq program in Baghdad and handed him a memorandum
of protest asking him to expel Ian Bruton from Iraq within 72 hours.
II. MINE EXPERT EXPELLED BY IRAQ
New York Times
July 9, 1999
U.N. Backs Mine Expert Expelled by Iraq
By JUDITH MILLER
UNITED NATIONS -- The United Nations defended a mine-clearing expert who
was expelled Thursday by Iraq, and expressed concern about Baghdad's
continuing attempts to bar employees of certain nationalities or groups
from working in the country.
Manoel de Almeida e Silva, a spokesman for Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, said Thursday that Iraq's determination to expel a U.N. contract
worker, a New Zealander who was clearing mines in northern Iraq, was "a
matter of concern to us."
Western diplomats expressed far stronger concern about Iraq's
persistence in barring U.N. officials from countries and U.N. agencies
that Baghdad views as unfriendly. Several also expressed anger at the
United Nations for permitting Iraq and other states to reject experts
and relief workers in their countries based on their nationality.
The latest incident involves Ian Broughton, a 30-year-old former
noncommissioned officer with the New Zealand Army, who was employed by a
British company hired by the United Nations.
On Tuesday, Baghdad told the United Nations that Broughton tried on
April 8 to sabotage Iraqi crops already hard hit by drought by planting
boxes of locust eggs near the Iranian border. Iraqi officials demanded
that he leave Iraq within 72 hours.
After interviewing Broughton and his associates, Hans von Sponeck,
the U.N. humanitarian coordinator in Iraq, told Iraqi foreign ministry
officials that "neither Ian Broughton nor any other person connected to
the United Nations was in the area specified" by Baghdad, according to a
document released Thursday by the United Nations spokesman's office.
Von Sponeck then suggested that there could have been a case of
"mistaken identity," the spokesman's note continued.
Nevertheless, Iraq insisted that Broughton leave the country, which
he did Thursday.
U.N. officials said the decision to permit Broughton to leave Iraq
early was based solely on concerns for his safety. They noted that
another mine removal expert, Nicholas Speight, also from New Zealand,
was shot and killed by unknown assailants in northern Iraq in late
April.
Diplomats and U.N. officials also expressed concern that Iraq had
ignored a request by a senior U.N. official to visit the site where
Broughton was accused of having planted the locust eggs.
Benon Sevan, the executive director of the United Nations
humanitarian program for Iraq, expressed his "disappointment" that the
charges against Broughton had "marred his otherwise successful visit to
Iraq," according to a statement issued Thursday by his office.
Sevan, who had spent 20 days in Iraq evaluating Iraq's humanitarian
needs, added that he was disappointed that the allegations against
Broughton were not raised in any of the many meetings he had held with
"a wide range of government officials" during his tour.
In fact, the statement added, Sevan had raised the issue himself and
asked to visit the site in a meeting with the Minister of Agriculture.
The minister did not respond to Sevan's request, but urged him instead
to visit a vaccine production plant that Iraq wants the United Nations
to rebuild.
The U.N. Special Commission charged with disarming Iraq of
biological, chemical and nuclear weapons destroyed part of the plant in
1996 after concluding that it was connected to Iraq's effort to build
biological weapons. After visiting the plant, Sevan denied Iraqi press
reports that he favored the plant's reconstruction.
The Iraqi press, which is controlled by Baghdad, continued Thursday
to press a campaign of invective against both the United Nations and
Broughton, reporting that the "New Zealander" had left Baghdad for
Jordan overland "after it was confirmed that he had carried out sabotage
acts in Iraq."
"Acts of spying and sabotage by some of those who wear the blue hat
have reached a level which cannot be imagined," declared Babel, a paper
owned by Saddam Hussein's eldest son, Uday.
Iraq has previously accused several employees of the Special
Commission, including Richard Butler, its former chairman, of spying.
While Butler denied that he spied against Iraq, Washington did not deny
allegations that it had used the Special Commission as cover for some
intelligence gathering efforts.
One diplomat argued that concern that Broughton might have spied for
New Zealand without the United Nations' knowledge led the world body to
issue its rather tepid denial of Iraq's charges.
Pressed as to whether there was any indication that Broughton had
buried locust eggs or conducted any act of sabotage or espionage, John
Mills, Sevan's spokesman, said the United Nations had "found no evidence
to support the allegations made against Broughton."
III. SADDAM ACCUSES UN/US OF GERM WARFARE
Baghdad Republic of Iraq Radio Network in Arabic 1800 GMT 8 Jul 99
[FBIS Translated Text] Comrade Leader Saddam Husayn, God watch over him,
today met with a number of the comrades from the party's senior cadres
in the 22nd meeting. His excellency greeted the Ba'th comrades and urged
them to directly raise issues of interest to the party and people. One
of the comrade members of the Culture and Media Bureau asked to present
his views before the comrade leader on cultural and organizational
matters.
Commenting on the speaker's views, the comrade leader said: We should
not suppress the comrades who endeavor to make their work noticeable in
a manner commensurate with the sound standards of performance. His
contribution is important because he is part of a bigger circle. As
such, solidarity, interaction, as well as exchanging views become a
reality.
This depends on those in the know. Solidarity means finding the best
step and idea after consulting with the other people. When somebody's
ideas and initiatives are presented to a group comprising senior
members, then they are supposed to be highlighted. Moreover, his own
imprints should be preserved after making the necessary amendments,
deletion, or additions.
Hence, solidarity will mean interaction. Each member has his own
leading duties. This depends on his ability to establish interactive
ties in a bid to realize solidarity that would help develop work and
bring about novelty in it.
The saying that a comrade cannot be a good theorizer unless he is
well-educated is inaccurate. A comrade might understand the doctrine of
the party although he might not be a theorizer in this doctrine. A
comrade might understand the bylaws of the party very well although he
is unable to theorize. Instead, he is able to pick up the great and
fundamental meanings in the party's intellectual composition and adds to
it his own Ba'thist conscience. He even develops his own Ba'thist, and
national, as well as pan-Arab attitude.
Another comrade from the party's vocational bureau took the floor. He
described some of his observations about the people's feelings about
Iraq. Commenting, his excellency said: Nationalists worldwide highly
respect you. Their sense of responsibility is also high. They believe
that you are the ones who are capable of overcoming weakness and
standing firm against tyranny and injustice in the world. The theories
and sentiments that are floating around should go beyond the human
context and sympathy. They should, in fact, address Iraq's human rights
and understand what America wants from Iraq and the Arabs. They should
also understand what the United States wants from the world if it
overcome [sic] the Iraqi hurdle. American's unjust clout has reached a
limit that even citizens in democratic countries became unable to
express themselves freely. What kind of democracy does the United States
want the world to adopt? America wants Europe, Japan, China, Russia, and
the rest of the world to pay the price after it clamps its hegemony on
Middle East oil, which Iraq represents as its gate. The worst dangers
facing humanity lie in rendering people helpless in such a manner that
would make others dominate their feelings and match their moves step by
step in all direction. Your strong self-confidence has undergone gradual
change until it reached this current limit. Things were different at the
beginning, particularly in the aftermath of the 30-state aggression.
Things were difficult for many experts and not only for the people. The
average people were able to see facts faster than the specialized
people. The people were more capable of digging deep to the facts. The
Western media did influence some people. Now, our comrades abandoned
this state of weakness and inability to a state of strength for a long
time. All began to feel that they are capable, thanks to God. All
difficulties have become part of the past.
The enemies even exploited the United Nations as a tool to
disseminate diseases among people in Iraq. They buried the locusts' eggs
so that they will later become fully-grown locusts that would eat
people's food. People would then be deprived of food and consequently
die in this beleaguered state. What kind of germ is this that worked
under the UN guise? UN employees might not be the same. When this
organization includes low-level employees who commit such mean acts and
bury locusts' eggs, we then wonder what kind of detestable training
those people received to eventually become UN employees.
This is not the work of the individual, but the work of a state and
its intelligence services. What is strange is that the United Nations
does not try to defend itself. The entire world said that there are
spies who worked under the cover of the United Nations for the United
States. Some of the spies themselves confessed to being agents assigned
with certain tasks. Does this not call for the United Nations to do
something to preserve countries' trust and respect for it? The Iraqi
people saw most of the UN employees--not all, for the sake of being
fair--stealing Iraqi antiques, and spending the entire day shopping for
everything they could buy so that they can make money selling them
abroad. The UN employees used to spy for other countries and try to gain
information that is of no relevance to the UN. To be fair, we are not
saying that all of the UN employees did that, because there are those of
them who are honest and cared about the UN's reputation, or at least
about their own personal honor when they accepted their duties as they
were officially assigned to them according to the charter.
The worst calamity in international history is for the UN to have
such employees and for its agencies to not take action until the United
States orders them to do so. The shameful behavior of UN employees means
biological war in every sense of the word. They are falsely bearing the
banner of fighting against biological war, and are the ones who own and
use weapons of mass destruction and then accuse others of violating
international law, while they themselves launched a biological war on
Iraq, spreading new diseases that never existed in Iraq before the war.
There are those who bury locust eggs to harm agricultural fields, or
transport viruses and germs to Iraq to harm the Iraqis. Why do they do
that, and to whose benefit? Do they want food shortages and illnesses to
spread? I apologize, comrades, for drifting to these sad topics.
The best time is spent talking about the lives of Iraqis, their
magnanimity, meanings, and abilities, as well as the lives of honorable
and struggling Arabs and how they behave, and the lives of friends who
we know and even those we do not know, how they behave, and how they
suffer from the siege imposed on the Iraqi people.
The secretary of the al-Suwayrah party branch then spoke and was
asked by his excellency about the conditions of the people of
al-Suwayrah and to convey his excellency's regards to them. After the
al-Suwayrah secretary gave a presentation of some of the forms of the
party's unity with the people, the president commented: I have an
accurate picture of our party, but this does not mean that I do not need
more details.
His excellency blessed the initiatives of the masses and the tribes
and their participation in duties that express their strong bond with
their leadership, saying that this participation is voluntary with no
pressure being placed on them, which shows the close bond between the
people and the party.
Another comrade from the Foreign Relations Office spoke, noting Arab
and humanitarian stands, including those of the Mexican Labor Party and
its leader Dr. Alberto Anaya and his sentiments toward Iraq and leader
Saddam Husayn. Comrade Saddam Husayn commented, saying: They appreciate
your principles. What is more important than the principles, which are
perhaps talked about by many people, is the true compliance with them
and willingness to offer sacrifices for their sake to make them
applicable. No person admires another for his or her physique, but
because he belongs to you and because what happens is a result of your
way of expressing these principles in a true and honest manner and due
to your dear sacrifices for them. You have to maintain contacts with the
people and make them feel that the humanitarian aspect is there and that
friendliness and affinity exist. We thank and greet all those who have a
conscience that embodies the conscience of people. The Mother of All
Battles is replete with many stories and stands that represented
people's association with this glorious battle. If they were written and
published to the world, they would increase the enthusiasm of
sympathetic ones. May God bless all friends and welcome to all those who
want to visit Iraq, be they Arabs or Muslims. Baghdad is for everybody
and you protect it and preserve its principles.
A comrade from the Students and Youths Office spoke about the stands
and heroic acts of the sons of our great people, comparing them to
incidents in our bright Arab Islamic history, and the role of the Iraqi
woman and her sacrifices. His Excellency said: We ordered that a
special monument be set up for the glorious Iraqi woman. I assigned this
task to a number of comrades, including those from the Women Union. This
monument will document and depict all the stories of the glorious women.
It will serve as a symbol of the Iraqi woman and her role in
al-Qadisiyah and the Mother of All Battles. The same comrade presented
some proposals regarding the youth movement in Iraq. The comrade leader
discussed this issue with him by asking him a number of questions. After
the comrade answered the questions, the comrade leader said: A central
institution, which is based in Baghdad, has its spirit in the
governorates. We are seeking to extend the jurisdiction of the local
administrations. They are close to each other and share the same
environment. This will make the process faster than waiting for
directives from the center. Since this method is better in the country's
activities, why adhere to centralization? As a party and administration,
we encourage the youth in all governorates. The picture of the party and
the people's stand have developed. Every new experience should be tested
by all citizens to make sure that it is proceeding within its context.
When another comrade from al-Qadisiyah branch of the party introduced
himself, the leader said: Convey my greetings to the people of
al-Qadisiyah, because they were first to volunteer for the first and
second al-Qadisiyah battles. When the comrade speaker pointed to
responsible national stands that are always expressed by the people of
al-Qadisiyah, his excellency added: The national heritage explains
matters and phenomena based on likable things. Praise be to God for
everything and that your people enjoy a high level of awareness. They
are emboldened by God and divine principles. Another group of comrades
spoke of some organizational matters, including the need to maintain
contacts with old comrades and strugglers of the party.
The comrade leader said: We talked about this issue in previous
sessions. We said: The comrade who quit the party action for certain
conditions did not quit the principles of the party or his zeal for his
party and comrades. He rather left the party for a certain condition and
believed he was no longer able to undertake his party responsibilities.
Therefore, contacts should be maintained with old comrades through
creative means. The comrades who quit realized that their comrades are
burdened with everyday work. The two sides must work together to become
acquainted with the party's affairs, developments, and plans.
A comrade from the command of one of the military branches of the
Ba'th party spoke describing the heroism and courage of the soldiers of
Leader Saddam Husayn during the recent aggression of the Great Conquest
Day. He mentioned one incident when a number of prisoners said they are
willing to donate their internal organs to their comrades the fighters
in case any of them was injured, may God forbid.
The leader, may God watch over him, commented on this saying: Has
anyone heard of a situation like this? Has something like this ever
happened anywhere in the world at any stage of world history that
someone would donate their internal organs to a fighter who is wounded
in battle? When a story like this is told, no one would believe it,
perhaps because it is unbelievable. However, it is true and it was a
prisoner and not an ordinary person who made the offer showing sincere
patriotism by offering any part of his body to anyone who needs it. This
is an exceptional case, and our people are truly a people of wonders.
This is the way to describe them because this is what they do and this
is how they act. I pray that your heads will always remain up high with
pride.
After another comrade from al-Najaf Branch command spoke, the comrade
leader said: Please convey my greetings to the people of al-Najaf. Tell
them that an Arabian tribe used to place a rifle with another tribe as a
sign and as an expression of sharing. Al-Najaf people have the shrine of
Imam 'Ali. Therefore, they have certain obligations to fulfill as pure
Arabs and as Iraqis. So please convey my greetings to them.
One of the comrades conveyed a message from the hero martyrs who were
prisoners in Iran. Their will before they died was to send their
greetings to the leader. Comrade Saddam Husayn said: Hail our martyrs
May God have mercy on our righteous martyrs wherever they may be. Hail
our martyrs from the al-Qadisiyah battle and the Mother of Battles who
carry the medal of honor. We beseech God the almighty to help us perform
our duty faithfully as we and our people hope to do.
At the conclusion of the meeting, the comrade leader asked the
comrades to communicate his regards to our great and steadfast people
who have carried the banner of al-Ba'th with competence, regardless of
their relation to the organization and reflected the high ability of the
Arab nation and made the nation proud in this difficult time. The
enemies do not see Iraq only within its geographical borders and they do
not see its abilities on the basis of its population; rather they see it
as a country that is always able to come up with something new and more
advanced because of its sincere allegiance to the Arab nation and its
deeply-rooted cultural and spiritual heritage and reliance on God.
Please send my greetings to all our people everywhere and all the
Ba'thists wherever they may be. May God protect them and protect you and
may he help you to always tell the truth and do righteous deeds.
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