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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: PROLIFE who wrote (473477)	10/9/2003 10:35:26 AM
From: Thomas A Watson	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 769670

Iraq's Weapons of Mass Destruction Programs "We have discovered dozens of WMD-related program activities and significant amounts of equipment that Iraq concealed from the United Nations during the inspections that began in late 2002." -The Interim Progress Report on the Activities of the Iraq Survey Group (ISG) The Iraqi Survey Group’s (ISG) interim progress report undeniably demonstrates that Saddam Hussein’s regime maintained a weapons program in blatant violation of United Nations resolutions. The ISG progress report provided to Congress states that, “Iraq’s WMD programs spanned more than two decades, involved thousands of people, billions of dollars, and was elaborately shielded by security and deception operations that continued even beyond the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom.” In just three months, the Iraqi Survey Group made important discoveries, including: * A clandestine network of biological laboratories and safehouses maintained by the Iraqi Intelligence Service. * A prison laboratory complex, possibly used for human testing of biological agents. * “Reference strains” of biological organisms concealed in scientists homes, including a live strain of deadly botulinum, and new research on Brucella, Congo Crimean Hemorrhagic Fever, ricin, and aflatoxin. * Advanced design work on prohibited longer range missiles and covert capability to produce illegal SCUD missile propellant. * Newly documented links between Iraq and North Korea with documents detailing Iraq’s attempt to buy equipment from North Korea to make missiles with ranges of up to 1,300 kilometers – a clear violation of the UN Resolution limiting Iraq to missiles with a range of 150 kilometers or less. * Systematic efforts to sanitize or destroy documents, computers, equipment, and other materials related to WMD work. While the ISG progress report does not draw final conclusions, it presents clear evidence that: * “Saddam, at least as judged by those scientists and other insiders who worked in his military-industrial programs, had not given up his aspirations and intentions to continue to acquire weapons of mass destruction.” * Saddam’s weapons delivery systems “were already well advanced” and, if Operation Iraqi Freedom had not intervened, “would have resulted in the production of missiles with ranges at least up to 1000 km, well in excess of the UN permitted range of 150 km.” * “In the chemical and biological weapons area we have confidence that there were at a minimum clandestine on-going research and development activities that were embedded in the Iraqi Intelligence Service.” The Iraq Survey Group’s progress report is just that – an interim progress report of an on-going investigation. The ISG has far more work to do before completing its mission. David Kay and ISG Personnel are still reviewing miles of documents, examining mountains of physical evidence and conducting hundreds of interviews. Taking into account the scope of the investigation, the conditions under which the ISG is working, Iraq’s physical size, and the scale of Saddam’s efforts to conceal evidence of his WMD programs, the progress of the ISG is remarkable. It is only a matter of time before the full scope of Saddam’s WMD programs is uncovered. georgewbush.com