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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (26703)	8/29/2003 12:46:22 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 89467

....Since then, troops in Iraq have uncovered "miles of documents" that will help lead to the discovery of Iraqi weapons, she said..... Rice says U.S. has no imperial ambitions DARLENE SUPERVILLE, Associated Press Writer (08-28) 16:57 PDT CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- The United States is no global bully, and disagreement between President Bush and U.S. allies doesn't mean their opinions aren't valued, his top foreign policy adviser says. "We need allies and need them badly," national security adviser Condoleezza Rice said in a July 31 interview with ZDF German television. The White House released a transcript of the interview Thursday in Crawford, Texas, where the president has been vacationing. The Bush administration has parted company with America's allies on many issues, most notably with the U.S. decision early this year to lead the war in Iraq without firm backing from the United Nations. Other disagreements have involved the environment, a nuclear test ban treaty and the international criminal court, among other issues. Rice said differences of opinion are bound to happen, and that too much should not be read into them when they occur. "Occasionally, we'll have differences," she said in the interview. "But that does not mean that the United States does not value its allies, does not value the opinions of its allies. And it, most especially, does not mean that we don't need allies." Rice also rejected the interviewer's comparison of the United States to the Roman Empire, which sought to acquire foreign countries. "The United States has no imperial ambitions," she said. If a historical analogy is to be made, Rice points to the post-World War II period, when the United States helped create institutions such as NATO, spearheaded the Marshall Plan and helped rebuild Germany. "We're now trying to do that, in a sense, in the Middle East, with Iraq and with the Palestinian state and with what we've done in Afghanistan," she said. "And there, again, it is the spread of values that will make us more secure." Rice acknowledged disagreement between the United States and other countries over how to handle Iraq, but said there was no disputing the fact that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the world. "But that Iraq was a threat, that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction, that Iraq had used those weapons of mass destruction on its neighbors and its own people, that Iraq had ambitions in the volatile region of the Middle East and was therefore a danger to international security, these were shared premises of the entire international community," she said. Rice said there was strong evidence and intelligence in the run-up to the war that Saddam had biological and chemical weapons and could have had a nuclear weapon by the end of the decade. Since then, troops in Iraq have uncovered "miles of documents" that will help lead to the discovery of Iraqi weapons, she said. "I have no doubt that that picture will confirm that this was a regime that was a grave threat to international peace and security because of its intent on having the world's worst weapons," Rice said. She refuted claims that America's credibility hinges on finding these weapons in Iraq. "The case against Iraq was not just an issue of American intelligence," Rice said. "It was an issue, also, of intelligence services around the world -- of U.N. reports that there were large quantities of missing chemical and biological agents, of defectors, including Saddam Hussein's own brother-in-laws, who had left the country and revealed major weapons programs. No, there is no issue of credibility here." sfgate.com

To: stockman_scott who wrote (26703)	8/29/2003 1:18:11 AM
From: Sully-	Respond to of 89467

....Customs agents say they have uncovered correspondence from companies in Germany and South Korea that referred to the United States as "our common enemy" in apparent efforts to ingratiate themselves with Iraq..... Records show Iraq was buying forbidden U.S. high-tech goods By Donna Leinwand and Jim Michaels, USA TODAY BAGHDAD — U.S. investigators examining bank and government records here say they have unearthed evidence that high-tech hardware manufactured by at least 30 U.S. companies was sold to Iraq in violation of United Nations sanctions and U.S. Customs regulations. Officials are trying to determine whether any of those companies knowingly violated the sanctions and U.S. Customs laws — or unwittingly sold the goods, including computers, laboratory equipment and aircraft parts, to third parties who then dealt with Saddam Hussein's regime. Investigators declined to name the U.S. companies. (Related story: U.S. can't sell resolution on Iraq) The evidence may confirm the United States' long-standing accusation that Saddam violated the U.N. sanctions, which sought to isolate and punish his regime for its invasion of Kuwait in 1990, its persecution of Shiite Muslims and ethnic Kurds and its efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction. Now, investigators with access to records and who have had a chance to interview former officials in Saddam's regime are developing a clearer understanding of how Iraq's sanctions-busting operation worked. They're tracking front companies and middlemen in Europe and the Middle East, and they are reviewing dozens of foreign bank accounts. Saddam's aides allegedly used these devices and methods to circumvent sanctions and purchase arms and high-tech goods. Iraq would often pay triple what the goods normally cost, investigators say the records show. "They had to pay through the nose," said U.S. Customs agent Stewart Burke, a member of the investigation team here. "If you are asking someone to violate the embargo, you have to expect someone to pay extra for it." Customs agents say they have uncovered correspondence from companies in Germany and South Korea that referred to the United States as "our common enemy" in apparent efforts to ingratiate themselves with Iraq. They also declined to name those foreign companies. U.S. prosecutors have no jurisdiction over most foreign companies that sold goods to Iraq during the 1990s and earlier this decade, when sanctions were in place. It also might be difficult to prosecute U.S. companies for any violations on sales subject to U.S. Customs export restrictions. Many of the goods could have changed hands several times after first being sold. And many of the companies will likely say they thought their products would end up in Jordan or Syria — countries not subject to sanctions or many Customs restrictions. Prosecutors would have to prove the companies knew the products would end up in Iraq. As for the money Iraq used to pay for goods bought from elsewhere, officials from the nation's central bank have located more than a dozen Iraqi government accounts at banks in Lebanon. On the eve of the war, they held $400 million. An additional $150 million was deposited in Jordanian banks. usatoday.com.