Just prior to the U.S.-led effort to oust Hussein, SES International Corp. signed at least 50 contracts to supply weapons and gear to Iraq, the paper reports, saying the arms transfers included 1,000 heavy machine guns and up to 20 million bullets for assault rifles.
[i]Among the Times' findings:
A Polish company shipped up to 380 surface-to-air missile engines to Baghdad through Syria[/i];
A South Korean firm shipped $8 million in telecommunications equipment for "air defense";
A Slovenian firm shipped 20 battle tank barrels to the Syrian firm early in 2002;
Two North Korean officials went to Damascus to discuss an Iraqi payment of $10 million for components for ballistic missiles.
posted on December 30, 2003 02:54:53 PM new
Just pointing out to those who supported the stand that Saddam was cooperating with the UN and we had no reason to invade Iraq as they presented no threat.
Here's another report of the same LA Times article, taken from the WSJ.
The Road to Damascus
Syria, a member of the U.N. Security Council, turns out to have been more active than anyone realized in helping Iraq violate U.N. sanctions, the Los Angeles Times reports:
A Syrian trading company with close ties to the ruling regime smuggled weapons and military hardware to Saddam Hussein between 2000 and 2003, helping Syria become the main channel for illicit arms transfers to Iraq despite a stringent U.N. embargo, documents recovered in Iraq show.
The private company, called SES International Corp., is headed by a cousin of Syria's autocratic leader, Bashar Assad, and is controlled by other members of Assad's Baath Party and Alawite clan. Syria's government assisted SES in importing at least one shipment destined for Iraq's military, the Iraqi documents indicate, and Western intelligence reports allege that senior Syrian officials were involved in other illicit transfers.
Iraqi records show that SES signed more than 50 contracts to supply tens of millions of dollars' worth of arms and equipment to Iraq's military shortly before the U.S.-led invasion in March.
"Sounds as though Assad ought to be sharing a cell with fellow Baathist Saddam Hussein." I agree.
posted on December 30, 2003 06:12:17 PM new
It comes as no surprise to me that Saddam was finding ways around sanctions. He's a madman.. It's not, however, any proof that he posed a threat to the US. The main article at the L.A. Times specifically mentions that WOMD were NOT part of the deals. We're talking here about bullets, short range rockets, tank barrels. LOCAL stuff. These weapons only became a danger to us when we invaded.
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The Republicans are the party that says government doesn't work and then gets elected and proves it.
-- P. J. ORourke (Holidays in hell, 1989)
posted on December 31, 2003 03:53:57 PM new
Really if he retained any serious deadly weapons such as biological agents chances were it was stock originally from the very recent period in which the US was sending this crap to him. They act like it will never come back to haunt them but - surprise it does.
