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To: Original Mad Dog who wrote (206)9/5/2002 4:12:03 PM
From: jlallen  Respond to of 7689
 
I think Rumsfeld gives the press all the respect they deserve...in fact a lot more than they deserve....



To: Original Mad Dog who wrote (206)9/5/2002 4:12:07 PM
From: Lazarus_Long  Respond to of 7689
 
Lawsuit: Iraq, bin Laden conspired on 9/11

September 5, 2002 Posted: 5:11 AM EDT (0911 GMT)

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A $1 trillion civil lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges Iraq
knew in advance of Islamic militant Osama bin Laden's plans for terror
attacks against New York and Washington and conspired with him to carry
them out.

The case -- by Kreindler & Kreindler, a law firm specializing in airline disaster
lawsuits -- was filed in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York
for more than 1,400 victims of the September 11 terror attacks and their families.

The lawsuit points to a July 21, 2001, article written by Naeem Abd Muhalhal, a
columnist in an Iraqi newspaper, in which he generally praises bin Laden as he
thinks "with the seriousness of the Bedouin of the desert about the way he will try
to bomb the Pentagon after he destroys the White House."

The attacks on Washington and New York took place
about seven weeks later.

Newspapers in Iraq are tightly controlled by Iraqi
President Saddam Hussein and the ruling Baath Party.
Attorneys argue the newspaper article could not have
been published without the advance approval of the
Baghdad regime.

"We believe this familiarity with Osama bin Laden's
aspirations of violence and his advance knowledge of al Qaeda's specific targets --
the Pentagon and the White House, and very likely the World Trade Center towers
-- indicates that Iraqi officials were aware of plans to attack American landmarks,"
said Jim Kreindler, one of the attorneys bringing the lawsuit. "Further, we have
evidence that Iraq provided support for bin Laden and his al Qaeda terror
organization for nearly a decade."

The suit also cites the statements of Iraqi prisoners in Kurdistan who claim to have
firsthand knowledge of Saddam's cooperation with bin Laden, al Qaeda and the
Taliban in the years leading up to the attacks on September 11.

Previously, Iraq has strenuously denied it supports terrorism or has any
connections to al Qaeda or the former Taliban regime in Afghanistan.

In recent months, CNN has reported on the extent of the alleged contact between al
Qaeda and Iraq. Coalition intelligence agencies have tracked high level meetings
between Iraq and al Qaeda operatives dating back seven years:

The first meeting, according to intelligence sources, occurred in the Sudan in 1994
when bin Laden received an Iraqi delegation led by Iraq intelligence chief Faruq Hijazi.

The same intelligence sources have said another key meeting occurred in 1998 in
Baghdad between Ayman al- Zawahiri, bin Laden's top adviser, and Iraqi Vice President
Taha Ramadan. That same year, more meetings were held during Saddam's birthday
celebration.

The lawsuit comes at a time the White House has stepped up its rhetoric against
Iraq.

Calling Saddam a "serious threat," President Bush said Wednesday he would seek
approval from Congress about taking action against Iraq and vowed to make the
case against the Iraqi leader on the international stage as well.

"At the appropriate time, the administration will go to the Congress to seek approval
necessary to deal with the threat," Bush said at a meeting with congressional leaders
at the White House.

The Bush administration accuses Iraq of trying to obtain weapons of mass
destruction in violation of U.N. resolutions ending the 1991 Persian Gulf War.

Generally frustrating the White House is a lack of consensus among international
allies for military action against Iraq. Only a small handful is backing the
administration call for a regime change in Iraq.
cnn.com