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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group

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To: Nadine Carroll who wrote (149023)10/26/2004 7:13:16 AM
From: Michael Watkins  Read Replies (1) of 281500
 
This high explosives issue debate is masking another issue. But first, a recap of the facts:

- IAEA knew about the explosives. It was inventoried and locked behind seals. Last spot check is Dec 2002
- IAEA / UN are ordered out of Iraq by US, not by Iraq
- IAEA warns about these materials repeatedly in early 2003 pre war
- US (oops, coalition of the willing) goes to war in Iraq
- depot not guarded
- remember, IAEA has been kicked out of Iraq
- Neither the US nor the provisional Iraqi government notify IAEA about the state of previously monitored items
- IAEA puts pressure designed to prod US/Iraqi into action. Nothing happens.
- The IAEA has to resort to obtaining commercial satellite photos to keep its surveillance up.
- IAEA again puts pressure designed to prod US/Iraqi into action.
- Iraqi minister finally confirms that everything is missing.
- Now the world knows that an amount of high explosive material, weighing approximately the same amount as the Statue of Liberty, has "vanished".

Can you spot the hidden issue?

HINT: Why is the IAEA not getting cooperation from the US?

Think about it... IAEA warns - nothing happens. Invasion happens - no IAEA specific intel is passed back to them. The IAEA - charged with preventing proliferation of nuclear materials from states forbidden to possess such things - gets *nothing* in the way of communication or intel for months.

This isn't merely a case of not posting guards at the - well known - Al Qaqaa site. Its not just what was taken that should alarm people but also the fact that the US/Iraqi are purposefully obstructing the IAEA.

ANSWER: One can only imagine that the theft of these materials was known long before the Iraqi minister "reported" it - a fact embarrassing to the US administration.

One also has to wonder why the IAEA was kept out of country and in the dark for so many months.
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